ABSTRACT
Background: The use of vaccines is still a crucial defence against the COVID-19 outbreak. Pfizer-BioNTech One of the first vaccinations to reach Iraq was the COVID-19 vaccine, which has grown immensely popular due to its great efficiency. The World Health Organization announced the release of various COVID-19 vaccinations in September 2020. The Pfizer mRNA vaccine was given emergency approval on December 31, 2020. According to the study, the Pfizer vaccination had a 95% success rate. The prevalence of local side effects was higher with the mRNA-based vaccinations (e.g., injection site pain). However, a significant obstacle in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus is the public's vaccination scepticism of the current vaccines. Methods: This cohort study was done between October 2021 and May 2022 to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) side effects among individuals who visited primary health care centres in Najaf. Participants were Iraqis from the Governorate of Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf. After the first and second doses of the COVID19 vaccine administered by Pfizer, individuals aged 18 to 50 or older who got the vaccine were monitored at varying intervals. Results: In this study, regarding the side effects of people vaccinated with the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine, some side effects were found, the most common of which are injection site pain after the first dose, but after the second dose, the symptoms decreased and seemed to be less than the first dose the temperature became the most common. Conclusions: The most often reported side effects included injection site reactions, myalgia, fever, headache tiredness, and chills. Most symptoms ranged in severity from mild to moderate. © 2022, ResearchTrentz Academy Publishing Education Services. All rights reserved.