Post COVID Vaccination Experience among the United Arab Emirates General Public

Subject Areas : Journal of Chemical Health Risks

Tasnim  Alomar ¹ (Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai Pharmacy College for Girls, Dubai, 19099, United Arab Emirates)
Mirza  Rafi Baig ² (Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai Pharmacy College for Girls, Dubai, 19099, United Arab Emirates)
Hanan S.  Anbar ³ (Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai Pharmacy College for Girls, Dubai, 19099, United Arab Emirates)

Received: 2023-11-16 Accepted : 2024-01-31 Published : 2024-03-16

Keywords: Vaccine, Experience, United Arab Emirates, COVID-19,

Abstract :

The study aimed to investigate the experience of the general public in the United Arab Emirates post-COVID-19 vaccines in order to find out the long-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of vaccinated individuals in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 500 respondents completed the survey. Twenty participants (4.7%) expressed concerns about either registering or receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, mainly due to their uncertainty about vaccine safety. 58.8% of the participants who have received Pfizer vaccine have received Sinopharm, Pfizer, or both vaccines together. Of them, 78.6% had experienced vaccine-related side effects. The most common side effects are pain/swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, fever, headache, shivering, feeling unwell, and joint pain. Similarly, only 5.4% reported health problems after vaccination while 94.6% did not have any after vaccination. In the same way, only 3.6% developed a new disease after the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, 3% reported having contacts who experienced health problems/new diseases after vaccination. Overall, attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine were positive. Several differences in the incidence and number of vaccine-related adverse events experienced were due to age, sex, and vaccine type.

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