Investigation of CoronaVac Vaccine Side Effects and Associated Factors in Healthcare Professionals

Objective: To determine the side effects and related factors after two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine in healthcare workers aged 18 to 65 years, working at hospitals in Edirne’s city center. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted in 3 different pandemic hospitals in Turkey. As of May 2021, data from 530 healthcare workers who completed 2 doses of CoronaVac vaccine were evaluated. Data collection, a survey form was used to inquire about the short-term local and systemic side effects experienced by healthcare workers related to vaccination. Results: The average age of healthcare workers participating in this study was 36.6±9.9 years. 44.8% of healthcare professionals reported at least one side effect. Local side effects were determined after the first dose were 40.2% and 36.2% after the second dose. The three most common local side effects were injection site pain (1st dose: 38%; 2nd dose: 31.7%), redness (1st dose: 3.0%; 2nd dose: 1.3%) and swelling (1st dose: 2.1%; 2nd dose: 0.2%). The three most common systemic side effects after two doses of vaccine were fatigue (1st dose: 20.8%; 2nd dose: 15.8%), headache (1st dose: 17.5%; 2nd dose:12.7%), and muscle pain (1st dose: 14.7%; 2nd dose: 11.3%). Local and systemic side effects were significantly higher in female health workers than males (P<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, it was found that the temporary side effects of the inactivated vaccine CoronaVac were moderate, but the incidence of side effects was slightly higher than that observed in CoronaVac Phase Ⅰ-Ⅲ clinical trials.