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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Since 2019, it has spread all over the globe, causing a pandemic that is still ongoing. COVID-19 vaccines protect against this disease through different strategies. Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines were the most used vaccines in Iraq. Both vaccines have a specific mechanism to trigger the immune system in cells. This research aims to compare the biochemical and immunological responses in vaccinated individuals with either the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or the Sinopharm vaccine. This cohort study included 120 Iraqi adults vaccinated with two doses, 21 days apart, using either the Pfizer or the Sinopharm vaccine. Forty subjects received the Pfizer vaccine, 40 subjects received the Sinopharm vaccine, and the other 40 subjects were unvaccinated. After 6 weeks, the second dose was administered, and the blood samples were collected. Our findings revealed that the biochemical biomarkers, urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase, seem to be not affected by the vaccines used. However, both vaccines significantly reduced alanine aminotransferase levels (p < 0.05). In contrast, the immunological biomarkers such as IgG, IgM, C3, IL-2, and hs-CRP remarkably responded to both vaccines (p < 0.01), while procalcitonin levels were significantly increased by the Pfizer vaccine (p < 0.05). The study concluded that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine boosted the immune system more than the Sinopharm vaccine. A booster dose is advised for people who have already taken Sinopharm or have long-term immunosuppressive diseases.

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