Original Research
Prevalence of reactogenicity of COVID-19 vaccine among Libyan adults: a cross-sectional study
Mohammed S. Al-Zawam, Khaleel M. Abuleid, Muez S. Al-Zawam and Reem A. Ashour
Abstract :
The diversity of reactogenicity and its variation in terms of risk and prevalence among populations had raised the need to study and evaluate the reactogenicity of different COVID-19 vaccines in our region. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of reactogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines and compare the three vaccines (AstraZeneca-Oxford, Sinovac and sputnik V). An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured telephonic interview with a sample size of 430 individuals who received one of the included COVID-19 vaccines (AstraZeneca, Sinovac or sputnik V) and were recorded at one of the vaccination centers' records that were affiliated with Aljamail Department of the National Centre for Disease Control, Libya. 410 Libyan participants met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the final analysis. The study has shown that 57.3% (CI 52.7-62) of the participants had at least one reactogenic event. Pyrexia (40.7%), headache (27.3%) and fatigue (19.5%) were the most common reactogenic events. In conclusion: the study found that reactogenic events were mild to moderate and the COVID-19 vaccines were safe and encouraged our community to be vaccinated. However, prospective studies with larger sample sizes, longer follow-up and inclusion of important laboratory parameters such as IgG and IgM immunoglobulins are recommended to better understand the relationship between the reactogenicities of COVID-19 vaccines with immunity system development and the factors associated with it.