COVID-19 vaccination side effects among the child age group: a large cross-sectional online based survey in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background Multiple vaccines have been tested in clinical trials for their efficacy and safety. In Saudi Arabia, Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna were approved for children, however, previous studies to report their safety profile are limited. This research aims to understand the side effect of children's vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection in Saudi Arabia. Methods This was an observational retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey in Saudi Arabia from March to May 2022. The inclusion criteria were parents aged 18 years and above who live in Saudi Arabia and have vaccinated their children. The self-reported questionnaire was adopted from published studies to investigate the study objectives Descriptive statistics were used to describe patients’ demographic characteristics, continuous data were reported as mean ± S.D., categorical data were reported as percentages (frequencies), and logistic regression was used to identify predictors of persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms. Results This study had a total of 4,069 participants. Only 41.9% of the participants reported that their child(ren) had been infected with the coronavirus. 2.00 was the median number of children (IQR: 1.00–4.00). More than half of the study participants (64.2%) reported that a family member had been infected with the coronavirus. Both parents received COVID-19 vaccination, according to most participants (88.7%). Most participants (70.5%) stated that all children who met the vaccination criteria had received the vaccine. Most participants (83.5%) said their child or children had two doses of their vaccine, and about half (50.4%) of those who received the vaccine reported experiencing side effects. In addition, the majority (78.9%) reported that the side effects appeared within one day of receiving the vaccine, and nearly two-thirds (65.7%) reported that the side effects lasted between one and three. A total of 11,831 side effects cases were documented. Pain at the injection site, hyperthermia, and fatigue were the most reported side effects, accounting for 15.3%, 14.1%, and 13.2%, respectively. Conclusion It appears that the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine for children are minor, tolerable, and like those described previously in clinical trials. Our data should encourage the public about the safety of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

Community Perception and Attitude towards COVID-19 Vaccination for Children in Saudi Arabia

“…This is similar to the findings of a recent study from Saudi Arabia where parents who intended to vaccinate themselves (OR: 0.599, 95% CI: 0.367–0.980) and who trust the healthcare system (OR: 0.527, 95% CI: 0.327–0.848) reported greater acceptance of children’s vaccination [ 18 ]. In our previous study, the majority of parents strongly agreed (23.4%) and agreed (35.1%) about the importance of getting their children vaccinated, 22.1% of parents strongly agreed, and 33.3% agreed regarding their willingness to get their children vaccinated to prevent coronavirus disease [ 23 ]. Parents who had the COVID-19 vaccine were about five-fold more likely to vaccinate their children compared with parents who did not receive the vaccine (OR = 4.9, CI: 3.12–7.70) in a study from EMR [ 24 ].…”

“…Intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine was low among patients with chronic diseases, to achieve herd immunity, in a Nigerian study [ 22 ]. Another study from Saudi Arabia showed that the smoking status of the parents, having an allergy, and having other comorbidities were risk factors of having persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms ( p ≤ 0.05) among child age groups [ 23 ].…”

Parental Hesitancy and Attitude Concerning COVID-19 Vaccine and Its Side Effects in Saudi Arabia, Eastern Region

“…The majority of them (78.9%) said that adverse effects began one day after receiving the immunization, and 65.7% reported that they lasted one to three days. In addition, the most documented effect was pain at the injection site (15.3%) [33]. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that COVID-19 vaccines, like other vaccines, could cause adverse effects.…”

COVID-19 Disease in Under-5 Children: Current Status and Strategies for Prevention including Vaccination

“…The most commonly reported symptoms were injection site pain, fatigue, fever, and headache. There were no serious adverse events, and symptoms improved within 1–3 days after vaccination [ 192 ]. Another study from Saudi Arabia reported that 60% of adolescents had at least one side effect post-vaccination.…”