ISSN: 2578-5044
Authors: Inder D* and Agarwal A
Objective: Mild adverse effects following immunization (AEFI) are inevitable and generally tolerable. The primary objective of study is to know the prevalence of AEFI with COVID-19 vaccine (CovaxinTM ) in age group between 14-18 years. Study also aimed to assess the factors responsible for vaccine hesitancy among adolescents and their parents. Methodology: The prospective observational study was conducted using self structured validated Google form questionnaire among the CovaxinTM recipients (N= 262) between June 2022 to August 2022. IBM-SPSS version 22 Chicago, USA was used for data analysis. Observations and Results: Around 50% and 26.3% participants reported at least one of the AEFI following first and second dose of CovaxinTM respectively. No severe life threatening adverse events were reported with any dose. The common AEFI were pain at the injection site (13%, 7.3%), fever (37%, 19.1%), and generalized body aches (27.1%, 11.1%) respectively following first and second dose. The prevalence of AEFI was higher following the first dose compared to the second dose except for hair fall (7.2%). Hair fall was found statistically significant (p<0.05). Maximum duration of persistence of AEFI was 3 days (8.7%, 4.5%)) following first and second dose respectively. The main factor responsible for vaccine hesitancy was concern over immediate side effects (8%). Conclusion: Adverse effects following immunization (AEFI) with CovaxinTM are mild and self limiting in nature. Precaution needs to be taken in individuals with a history of allergy and co-morbidity. Vaccine hesitancy can be reduced by addressing safety concerns using social media, print media and television campaigns.
Keywords: Covid-19 vaccination; AEFI; Adolescents; Vaccine Hesitancy
