Abstract
Introduction Our objective was to describe and compare self-reported side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in the USA.
Methods A web-based registry enrolled volunteers who received a COVID-19 vaccine between March 19 –July 15, 2021. We collected self-reported short-term side effects, medical consultation, hospitalization, and quality of life impact following completed vaccination regimens (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J).
Results We recruited 6,966 volunteers who completed their full course of vaccination (median age 48 years, IQR 35.0-62.0; 83.6% female): Pfizer 3,486; Moderna 2,857; J&J 623. Few (3.1%) sought medical care for post-vaccination side effects. Hospitalization (n=17; 0.3%) and severe allergic reactions (n=39; 0.6%) also were rare. Those with autoimmune disease or lung disease were approximately twice as likely to seek medical care (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.01 [95% CI: 1.39;2.92] and 1.70 [95% CI: 1.12;2.58] respectively). 92.4% of participants reported ≥1 side effect (median 3), with injection site reactions (78.9%), fatigue (70.3%), headache (49.0%) reported most frequently. More side effects were reported after the second dose of two-dose vaccines (medians: 1 vs. 2 for Pfizer and 1 vs. 3 for Moderna for first and second doses respectively) versus 3 for J&J’s single-dose vaccine. For the employed, the median number of workdays missed was one. Diabetics and those vaccinated against influenza were substantially less likely to report ≥3 symptoms (aOR 0.68, 95% CI 0.56,0.82 and aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73,0.93, respectively.)
Discussion The total side effect burden was, not unexpectedly, greater with two-dose regimens but all three vaccines appear relatively safe. Very few subjects reported side effects serious enough to warrant medical care or reported post-vaccination hospitalization. While these findings do not address possible long-term effects, they do inform on their short-term safety and tolerability and will hopefully provide some reassurance and positively inform the benefit-risk and pharmacoeconomic assessment for all three vaccines.
Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04368065
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Clinical Protocols
Funding Statement
This work was supported in part by a contract with the US Food and Drug Administration. The bulk of the funding was provided by IQVIA.
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Advarra Inc is the ethics committee that has reviewed and approved our protocol
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Footnotes
- Authors’ email addresses: Nancy.Dreyer{at}IQVIA.comMatthew.Reynolds{at}IQVIA.comLisa.Albert{at}IQVIA.comEmma.Brinkley{at}IQVIA.comTom.Kwon{at}IQVIA.comChristina.Mack{at}IQVIA.comMalaria{at}sunrise.ch [Stephen Toovey]
Paper in collection COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 preprints from medRxiv and bioRxiv