Self-reported side effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine among healthcare workers in Ethiopia, Africa

A cross-sectional study

Bibliographic Data

ID22073202
AuthorsElias Ali Yesuf (0000-0003-0281-5564, Jimma University, corresponding author), Abanoub Riad (0000-0001-5918-8966, Masaryk University, corresponding author), Ahmad Sofi‐Mahmudi (0000-0001-6829-0823, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences), Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi, Morankar Sudhakar (0000-0002-1895-5812, Jimma University), Addisalem Mekonnen (Jimma University), Selamawit Endalkachew (Jimma University), Feyissa Mama (Jimma University), Semira Muhidin (Woldia University), Bethelhem Ayele (Amhara Regional Health Bureau), Mohammed Abdo Yahya (0000-0002-5665-9600, Jigjiga University), Mohammed Yahya, Abduselam Usman (Jigjiga University), Jemal Abafita (Jimma University), Miloslav Klugar (0000-0002-2804-7295, Masaryk University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume10
Pages937794-937794
Publication date2022-07-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2022.937794
PMID35928493
OpenAlexW4285794147
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited24

Introduction: Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa. Ethiopia received most of its COVID-19 vaccines through donations. The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is the first to be donated to Ethiopia by the COVAX facility. Healthcare workers were the priority population that received the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. However, there was no nationwide study on the safety of the vaccine in Ethiopia. This study aimed to measure the prevalence and predictors of self-reported side effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. Materials and methods: telephone interview. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done. The software, IBM SPSS Statistics v21.0, was used for analyses of data. Results: Out of 384 people, 346 responded (response rate: 90.1%). Female accounted for 34.1% of the respondents. The mean age of the respondents was 31.0 years (Standard Deviation (SD) = 7.4). Nurses accounted for 43.7% of the respondents. The prevalence of at least one local- and systemic-side effect was 50.6 and 44.5%, respectively. The most frequent local- and systemic- side effect were injection site pain and headache, respectively. Both types of side effects mostly subsided in the first 3 days. A third of healthcare workers with side effects took at least one medication. Paracetamol followed by diclofenac sodium were taken by healthcare workers to overcome side effects. There was no independent predictor of local side effect. After controlling for age and chronic diseases, the odds of healthcare workers with COVID-19 like symptoms to experience systemic side effects was 1.38 (Confidence Interval (CI): 1.04-1.82) times more than that of healthcare workers without COVID-19 like symptoms. Conclusions: The prevalence of local- and systemic-side effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was modest. As the symptoms were mostly common in the first 3 days, it is preferable to monitor healthcare workers at least in the first 3 days following the administration of the vaccine

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Cross-sectional study · Disease · Health care · Outbreak · Political science · Intramuscular injections and effects · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research · Internal Medicine · Virology