Prevalence of Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care, Academic Center in Tehran City, Iran
Authors:   Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Khalili Hossein , Emadi Koochak Hamid ,   Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Salehi Mohammad Reza ,   Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Dehghan Manshadi Seyed Ali ,   Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Toroghi Negar ,   Department of Clinical Pharmacy, International Campus, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Nourian Anahid ,   Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Mohammadi Keyhan ,   Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Shirazi Nasim ,   Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Mohammadnejad Esmaeil ,   Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Shahmohamadi Elnaz ,   Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran., Hasannezhad Maliheh ,   Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Published: February 2024

Background and Purpose: COVID-19 vaccine side effects predominantly affect public confidence in vaccination. Therefore, this study evaluated the rate and severity of adverse reactions associated with the COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine among tertiary healthcare providers in an academic medical center. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study was carried out from March 2021 to August 2021 among Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex healthcare workers, a tertiary referral healthcare center affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Participants provided demographic and clinical information through a validated questionnaire after being interviewed. The frequency, severity, and outcome of all reactions after vaccination were recorded. The study utilized SPSS software, version 24.0 to conduct descriptive statistics on baseline variables and inferential statistics to examine associations between vaccine side effects and gender, medical history, and COVID-19 history of the participants. Additionally, ordinal regression analysis was employed to identify factors predicting the severity of adverse effects after the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. Results: A total of 372 participants (54.3% female) with a mean age of 36.5±9.18 years were recruited. The rate of at least one side effect was 77.15% and 57.8% after the first and second doses, respectively. The most common side effects among participants were myalgia (48.4% after the first and 28.2% after the second dose), injection site pain (26.3% after the first and 12.6% after the second dose), and fever (19.6% after the first and 12.9% after the second dose). The higher rate of fever and myalgia after the first dose was observed among subjects with a history of COVID-19. Conclusion: Among healthcare workers, the side effects following the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine were primarily mild, with no cases requiring hospitalization. Further research is required to assess potential side effects in larger and diverse populations with varying demographic and social characteristics.