Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Adverse Events Following COVID-19 Immunization at the University Hospital of Marrakesh: An International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Drug Experience

ABSTRACT

Background/Introduction: Vaccines against COVID-19 have been shown to be effective in reducing the severity, mortality, and spread of COVID-19 infections [1]. The safety of the vaccines currently used in Morocco has been well established [2], but like any other health products, they are likely to cause adverse events. Objective/Aim: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients who presented with adverse events following immunization (AEFI) against COVID-19 vaccines at the University Hospital (UH) of Marrakesh. Methods: Descriptive study including the reports of AEFI received at the pharmacovigilance unit of the Mohammed VI UH of Marrakesh from the vaccination unit of the UH and its different departments, over a period of 4 months and a half (February 1st-June 15th, 2021). The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of these patients were noted. Results: A total of 62 reports were received, 80.65% of which came from the UH vaccination unit dedicated to its staff. Thus, the percentage of vaccinated staff having developed AEFIs is 2.6% (out of a total number of vaccinated personnel = 1930). The notifications received from the various departments that hospitalized cases of AEFI and from health centers represented 19.35%. There was clear female predominance in our series (72.58%). The most represented age groups were 18-34 years (35.48%) and 55-70 years (20.97%). However, age information was not included in 24.19% of the reports. Among our patients, 35.48% had a pathological history, with diabetes and hypertension being the mostly observed (36.36% and 31.82%, respectively) and 17.74% of them were on concomitant medications of which 22.73% and 13.64% were on antihypertensive and oral antidiabetic drugs, respectively. The most reported adverse events were general disorders and administration site conditions and nervous system disorders (30.00% and 24.29%, respectively) with different onset times [the most observed ones were 1-24 h (37.86%) and < 1 h (26.43%)]. The patient outcome was good in 91.37% of cases. All our patients were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca™ vaccine. The events occurred after the first dose in 87.10% of cases. Conclusion: We have tried through this work to elucidate the epidemiological and clinical features of the patients who have developed AEFIs in our facility, in order to identify the affected patients' backgrounds and to have an orientation on eventual risk factors.