Short-Term Side Effects of Sinopharm Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine in Adolescents Aged 12-18 Years Vaccinated in Dr. Masih Daneshvari Hospital

BACKGROUND: Vaccination is known as one of the best approaches for overcoming the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for emergency use, and the knowledge about efficacy, safety, and adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines is based only on data published from clinical trials and is not reliable. Therefore, a report of the side effects in the real world and among different populations is very helpful. The purpose of this research is to study and describe the side effects of the Sinopharm vaccine in adolescents aged 12–18 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive retrospective study was conducted on 502 Iranian populations aged 12–18 years who received the first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine. Information was collected based-on telephonic interviews. In this survey, participants and their parents were asked about the underlying disease, side effects developed after receiving the vaccine, the time of beginning the reactions, and the time of resolving them. RESULTS: Out of 502 vaccinated participants with a mean age of 14.2 ± 0.6 years, about 10% (n = 50) reported side effects after the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. The most common side effects were injection site reactions (5.97%), and pain at the injection site (70%) was the most common of them. Systemic reactions were 2.19%, and fatigue/malaise was the most common of them (22%). The mean time to begin the side effects after injection was 42 ± 8.6 min, and the mean time of resolving developed adverse effects was 38 ± 5.3 min. CONCLUSION: About 10% of the population aged 12 to18 years developed adverse effects following the Sinopharm vaccine. These adverse reactions were often mild in severity and were developed mostly during 2 h of vaccination and resolved in <1 h and required no or home-based treatment. It seems that the Sinopharm vaccines are safe in the population aged 12–18 years and are not associated with significant complications. The exact mechanisms of these adverse reactions are not clear, but according to the time of occurrence of the vaccine side effects, it seems that type 1 hypersensitivity allergic reactions are mainly involved.