Jumanah D Al-Shawabkeh , Nidal MF Abu Laban, Diya Hasan, Ali Ata Alsarhan, Abeer Abdullah Alzayyat, Sajeda Al-Smadi, Suha Khayri Ababneh, Rima Saed Taha

For correspondence:-  Jumanah Al-Shawabkeh   Email: jumanah-dawood@bau.edu.jo   Tel:+962795748626

Received: 18 March 2024        Accepted: 5 October 2024        Published: 30 October 2024

Citation: Al-Shawabkeh JD, Abu Laban NM, Hasan D, Alsarhan AA, Alzayyat AA, Al-Smadi S, et al. An observational study of post-vaccination symptoms of inactivated virus vaccine versus mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Trop J Pharm Res 2024; 23(10):1749-1759 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v23i10.21

© 2024 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To determine the safety, effectiveness, and post-vaccination side effects of inactivated virus (Sinopharm) and mRNA (Pfizer/BioNTech's) vaccines which are the most frequently used in Jordan. The study focuses on students' experiences of adverse reactions and symptoms after immunization. Method: The cross-sectional survey included 3,903 students at Al-Balqa Applied University. Questionnaires on sociodemographic factors, symptoms, and immunization history were administered over the Internet. Distinct variations were identified by statistical analysis. Results: Most university students (43.6 %) learned about COVID-19 vaccination from social media. The most significant health factor among participants was smoking, with 29.8 % having a history of COVID-19 infection. It was evident that 38.7 % of mRNA-vaccinated people developed moderate systematic side effects. Furthermore, 2.5 % of mRNA-vaccinated participants developed serious side effects that required hospitalization. The most frequently used post-vaccination medications were antipyretics (63.7 %), muscle relaxants (15.6 %), and vitamins (5.1 %) for both vaccines. Conclusion: This study reveals that both vaccine types are effective in preventing symptomatic infections. SinoPharm vaccine has mild and non-life-threatening side effects compared to Pfizer vaccine. The risk of hospitalization for Pfizer recipients is related to their health status and the mechanism of action of nanoparticle-coated mRNA, which is still unclear.