J Korean Med Sci.  2021 May;36(21):e153. 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e153.

Adverse Reactions of the Second Dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Healthcare Workers in Korea

• Lee YW
• Lim SY
• Lee JH
• Lim JS
• Kim M
• Kwon S
• Joo J
• Kwak SH
• Kim EO
• Jung J
• Kwon HS
• Kim TB
• Kim SH
• Bae S

• KMID: 2516503
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e153

Abstract

We conducted a prospective, mobile-based survey on the self-reported adverse reactions in healthcare workers (HCWs) who received both doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Of the 342 HCWs who completed the two-dose vaccination, 265 (77.5%) responded to the survey at least once. Overall, the rates of adverse reactions were higher after the second dose compared with the first dose (89.1% vs. 80.1%, P = 0.006). The most common systemic reactions were muscle ache (69.1%), fatigue (65.7%), headache (48.7%), chills (44.2%), and fever (32.1%), and were notably more common after the second dose vaccine as well. We also noted a sex difference in which the frequency of adverse reactions after the second dose of the vaccine was significantly higher in females, which was not observed after the first dose. The rates of adverse reactions were lower in older age groups, and the rates and severities of the adverse reactions decreased during the 3-day period following vaccination.

Keyword

COVID-19; Vaccination; Adverse Reaction; BNT162b2

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Adverse reactions reported within 3 days following dose 1 and dose 2 of the BNT162b2 vaccine. The numbers indicate the rates (%) of each adverse reaction. Data on the frequency of adverse reactions following the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and the BNT162b2 vaccines were adopted from our previous work.4*P < 0.05, ***P < 0.001.

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