Self-Reported Post-Vaccination Adverse Events of COVID-19 Vaccines among Bangladeshi Medical Students

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate self-reported post-vaccination adverse events for COVID-19 vaccines among medical students in Bangladesh. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire for Bangladeshi medical students (n = 3,545). Students who received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine were included. The study was carried out from October 2021 to January 2022 in 75 public and private medical colleges. Result(s) The majority of respondents were female (60.6%) and third-year (26.5%) students. >11% had tested positive for COVID-19 infection, and 97.6% of respondents (n = 3,461) received both first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccination. Most students (79.1%) received Sinopharm and 11.2% got AstraZeneca. More than two-thirds (67.9%) indicated that COVID-19 vaccines are safe in the long term. 54.8% of respondents (n = 1,842) reported one or more adverse events. Pain at injection site (78.2%), fever (49.3%), tiredness and fatigue (46.8%), headache (41.1%), generalized body ache (21.4%), over sleepiness/laziness (18.4%) and myalgia (17.5%) were the most commonly reported adverse events. 47.4% of respondents characterised adverse events as "mild". Majorities experienced symptoms within 12 hours of vaccination (68%) and for 1-3 days (56.8%). More than two-thirds (66.2%) of respondents had rest at home, and almost one-third (31.8%) took painkillers. Thirty-nine respondents visited physicians, mainly due to high fever, severe body ache, and severe headache, but there was no need for hospitalization. Conclusion(s) The majority of students reported adverse events, but symptoms were mild and of short duration. Further multi-centre studies with larger cohorts are required to monitor vaccine safety and strengthen public confidence in vaccines.