Before and After: Attitude and Adverse Effects Induced by the First and Second Doses of mRNA BNT162b2 Vaccine among Healthcare Professionals in the First Weeks after Their Introduction in Poland

Gerard Pasternak; Karolina Pieniawska-Śmiech; Mateusz Walkowiak; Joanna Sado; Adam Pytel; Paulina Jasińska; Natalia Kierbiedź-Guzik; Paula Bolaczek; Katarzyna Fleischer-Stępniewska; Mateusz Babicki; Katarzyna Pentoś; Aleksandra Lewandowicz-Uszyńska

doi:10.3390/vaccines11050883

Before and After: Attitude and Adverse Effects Induced by the First and Second Doses of mRNA BNT162b2 Vaccine among Healthcare Professionals in the First Weeks after Their Introduction in Poland

Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Apr 22;11(5):883. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11050883.

Authors

Gerard Pasternak^{1

2}, Karolina Pieniawska-Śmiech^{2

3}, Mateusz Walkowiak^{1

2}, Joanna Sado², Adam Pytel², Paulina Jasińska⁴, Natalia Kierbiedź-Guzik⁴, Paula Bolaczek^{1

2}, Katarzyna Fleischer-Stępniewska⁵, Mateusz Babicki⁶, Katarzyna Pentoś⁷, Aleksandra Lewandowicz-Uszyńska^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Third Department and Clinic of Pediatrics, Immunology and Rheumatology of Developmental Age, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.
² Department of Immunology and Pediatrics, The J. Gromkowski Provincial Specialist Hospital, 51-149 Wroclaw, Poland.
³ Department of Clinical Immunology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.
⁴ Department of Pulmonology and Pediatrics, The J. Gromkowski Provincial Specialist Hospital, 51-149 Wroclaw, Poland.
⁵ Department of Infectious Diseases, Liver Diseases and Immune Deficiencies, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.
⁶ Department and Faculty of Family Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.
⁷ Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.

Abstract

Background: In the last days of December 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccine BNT162b2 (Comirnaty, Pfizer-BioNTech) was introduced, for the first time, for wide use in Poland. According to the vaccination schedule, healthcare workers were the first to receive the vaccine. The aim of this study was to analyse the attitudes of those who were determined to be vaccinated, with particular reference to their concerns, attitudes towards vaccination advocacy and sources of knowledge on vaccination, as well as the incidence of adverse reactions.

Methods: The study had a three-stage design. Respondents completed a self-administered questionnaire before receiving the 1st and 2nd vaccine doses and 2 weeks after receiving the 2nd dose. A total of 2247 responses were obtained (1340 responses in the first stage, 769 in the second and 138 in the third).

Results: The main source of knowledge on vaccination was the Internet (32%; n = 428). Of the respondents, 6% (n = 86) reported anxiety before the 1st dose of the vaccine, which increased to 20% (n = 157) before the 2nd dose. A declaration of willingness to promote vaccination among their families was made by 87% (n = 1165). Among adverse reactions after the 1st dose of the vaccine, respondents most frequently observed pain at the injection site (n = 584; 71%), fatigue (n = 126; 16%) and malaise (n = 86; 11%). The mean duration of symptoms was 2.38 days (SD 1.88). After the 2nd dose of vaccine, similar adverse reactions-pain at the injection site (n = 103; 75%), fatigue (n = 28; 20%), malaise (n = 22; 16%)-predominated among respondents. Those who declared having had a SARS-CoV-2 virus infection (p = 0.00484) and with a history of adverse vaccination reactions (p = 0.00374) were statistically more likely to observe adverse symptoms after vaccination.

Conclusions: Adverse postvaccinal reactions are relatively common after Comirnaty vaccination but are usually mild and transient in nature. It is in the interest of public health to increase the knowledge of vaccine safety.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; vaccine.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.