The Gender Impact Assessment among Healthcare Workers in the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination—An Analysis of Serological Response and Side Effects

Resta, Chiara Di; Ferrari, Davide; Viganò, Marco; Moro, Matteo; Sabetta, Eleonora; Minerva, Massimo; Ambrosio, Alberto; Locatelli, Massimo; Tomaiuolo, Rossella

doi:10.3390/vaccines9050522

Cited by 58 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The gender-based differences of post-vaccination side effect prevalence in our sample indicated the higher susceptibility of females to experience and report side effects. This finding is in line with what was previously reported by phase IV trials of COVID-19 vaccines from Italy, Saudi Arabia, and the UK, where female participants reported side effects more frequently than males [20,28,34] Di Resta et al (2021) found that Italian female healthcare workers had significantly higher serological values after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, which were correlated with a higher prevalence of post-vaccination side effects, thus suggesting that the more prevalent and severe side effects reported by females might be explained by their potent immune response [34]. The role of sex hormones in immunity can also suggest an explanatory hypothesis for these differences; while testosterone decreases immune functions, the normal levels of oestrogen can stimulate humoral responses to viral infections [35,36].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Side Effects of mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccine: Nationwide Phase IV Study among Healthcare Workers in Slovakia

et al. 2021

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mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines such as BNT162b2 have recently been a target of anti-vaccination campaigns due to their novelty in the healthcare industry; nevertheless, these vaccines have exhibited excellent results in terms of efficacy and safety. As a consequence, they acquired the first approvals from drug regulators and were deployed at a large scale among priority groups, including healthcare workers. This phase IV study was designed as a nationwide cross-sectional survey to evaluate the post-vaccination side effects among healthcare workers in Slovakia. The study used a validated self-administered questionnaire that inquired about participants’ demographic information, medical anamneses, COVID-19-related anamnesis, and local, systemic, oral, and skin-related side effects following receiving the BNT162b2 vaccine. A total of 522 participants were included in this study, of whom 77% were females, 55.7% were aged between 31 and 54 years, and 41.6% were from Banska Bystrica. Most of the participants (91.6%) reported at least one side effect. Injection site pain (85.2%) was the most common local side effect, while fatigue (54.2%), headache (34.3%), muscle pain (28.4%), and chills (26.4%) were the most common systemic side effects. The reported side effects were of a mild nature (99.6%) that did not require medical attention and a short duration, as most of them (90.4%) were resolved within three days. Females and young adults were more likely to report post-vaccination side effects; such a finding is also consistent with what was previously reported by other phase IV studies worldwide. The role of chronic illnesses and medical treatments in post-vaccination side effect incidence and intensity requires further robust investigation among large population groups.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Side Effects of mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccine: Nationwide Phase IV Study among Healthcare Workers in Slovakia

et al. 2021

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“…Most likely, the differences in immune responses are associated with variations in male and female hormones. It was reported in several studies that testosterone is related to immune response suppressive action in adult males, while estradiol stimulates a higher antibody response to viral infections in adult females [23,24]. This might be a plausible explanation why women experienced fatigue, headache and drowsiness more than males in the current study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 49%

Side Effects Following Administration of the First Dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield Vaccine in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Jahan

Rahman

Saha

et al. 2021

Infectious Disease Reports

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In response to the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh started its vaccine administration in early 2021; however, due to the rapid development and launch of the vaccines in the market, many people had concerns regarding the safety of these vaccines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the side effects that were experienced by the Bangladeshi residents after receiving the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield vaccine (ChAdOx1nCoV-19). The study was conducted using both online and printed questionnaires and the data were analysed using SPSS. The results included the responses of 474 vaccine recipients from March–April 2021. Pain at the site of injection, fever, myalgia, fatigue and headache were the most commonly reported symptoms, and the overall side effects were found to be significantly more prevalent in the younger population (p ≤ 0.05). These findings were consistent with the results indicated by the clinical trial of ChAdOx1nCoV-19. Logistic regression analysis further revealed that compared to people aged 70 years or above, the incidence of reported side effects was significantly higher in people aged 18–30 years (odds ratio (OR) = 8.56), 31–40 years, (OR = 5.05), 41–50 years (OR = 4.08), 51–60 years (OR = 3.77) and 61–70 years (OR = 3.67). In addition, a significantly higher percentage of female participants suffered from post-vaccination side effects compared to males (OR = 1.51). It was concluded that the Covishield vaccine was well-tolerated among people of different age groups. Nevertheless, further long-term follow-up study with a larger sample size is warranted to establish the long-term safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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“…The main limitations of this study are represented by the number of subjects included and the short observation time, which does not permit any inference on vaccine efficacy over time. Antibody persistence will be analyzed in ongoing longitudinal studies, which allows the evaluation of the factors affecting magnitude and persistence of the immune response such as previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus [ 27 , 28 ], age and gender [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Elicits High Avidity and Neutralizing Antibodies in Healthcare Workers

et al. 2021

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The BNT162b2 vaccine, containing lipid nanoparticles-formulated mRNA encoding the full-length spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, has been employed to immunize health care workers in Italy, administered in two doses 21 days apart. In this study, we characterized the antibody response induced by the BNT162b2 vaccine in a group of health care workers, tested at baseline, after the first dose and after the booster. Thirty-nine subjects without previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 were vaccinated with the BNT162b2 vaccine. IgM, IgG, and IgA anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) were tested by ELISA. Neutralizing antibodies were evaluated testing the inhibition of RBD binding to ACE2. Antibody avidity was measured by urea avidity ELISA. IgM anti-RBD are produced after the first dose of vaccine and persist after the booster. IgG and IgA anti-RBD antibodies are detected in high amounts in all the subjects after the first dose and further increase after the booster. A few subjects, already after the first dose, produce antibodies inhibiting RBD interaction with ACE2. After the booster, high levels of inhibitory antibodies are detected in all the subjects. Affinity maturation takes place with boosting and IgG anti-RBD avidity increases with the number of immunizations. A less pronounced increase is observed with IgA. These data indicate that the BNT162b2 vaccine can induce high levels of protective antibodies of high avidity in vaccinated subjects; both IgG and IgA anti-RBD antibodies are produced. Further studies are needed to evaluate antibody persistence over time.

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The Gender Impact Assessment among Healthcare Workers in the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination—An Analysis of Serological Response and Side Effects

Cited by 58 publications

References 55 publications

Side Effects of mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccine: Nationwide Phase IV Study among Healthcare Workers in Slovakia

Side Effects of mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccine: Nationwide Phase IV Study among Healthcare Workers in Slovakia

Side Effects Following Administration of the First Dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield Vaccine in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Elicits High Avidity and Neutralizing Antibodies in Healthcare Workers

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