Adverse effects associated with COVID-19 vaccines in officials and students of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of UNA, year 2021

Abstract

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus. It was declared a global public health emergency and vaccination was raised as the best tool to combat it. People who receive a vaccine often experience mild or moderate side effects. In this study, the frequency of adverse effects associated with vaccines against COVID-19 in employees and students of the Facultad de Ciencias Químcias-UNA, during the year 2021 was determined. For this, an analytical cross-sectional observational study was conducted. The accessible population were the employees and students of the FCQ-UNA, of both sexes, vaccinated with the first two doses of the available vaccines against COVID-19, and who have agreed to take part in the study by giving their informed consent. Data collection was performed by applying a survey using Google Forms using non-probabilistic convenience sampling by conglomerates. The following were analyzed: sex, age, underlying diseases, type of vaccine received, clinical manifestations presented after the application of the vaccines, and the time of onset of symptoms. 147 people met the inclusion criteria; 85% were female; 68.7% were between 20 and 29 years old; 60.5% received the Pfizer vaccine; 71.4% had a history of COVID-19 and 78.2% had no underlying disease. In addition, 60.5% of the study population presented symptoms after the first dose, and 61.2% after the second dose. The onset of symptoms was mainly between 8 and 12 hours after vaccination, both for the first and second doses. It is concluded that most of the targeted population presented mild side effects, attributable to the vaccines.