Adverse drug reactions and potential risk factors to Covishield vaccine: A cross-sectional study among dentists of different tertiary care centers

Abstract

Background: This study aims to study the predictors and the pattern of adverse drug reactions to Covishield vaccine which is being used in the mass vaccination program of the Government of India. Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among the dentists working as faculty in four different tertiary care centers in Jaipur city. A prevalidated questionnaire was circulated through E-mail/social media groups to all the participants. Results: A total of 574 participants fulfilled the questionnaire platform; however, six had been excluded from the study due to incompletely filled questionnaires. The remaining 568 were enrolled for the final analysis. About 296 (52.11%) were male and 272 (47.89%) were female. About 52.8% were in the age group of 31–49 years. About 87.32% of the enrolled participants had received both doses of Covishield. Most common postvaccination symptoms were fever (n = 145), local pain at injection site (n = 123), tenderness at injection site (n = 117), and fatigue (n = 91). Female gender, presence of comorbid diseases, and past coronavirus disease-19 infection were statistically significant risk factors for having adverse reactions post vaccination, P = 0.02, 0.043, and 0.0002, respectively. Conclusions: The data suggest that Covishield is well tolerated in the Indian population. Fever, local pain, tenderness at injection site, and fatigue are few commonly reported side effects. All the side effects were mild to moderate in terms of severity.