Safety and efficiency of COVID-19 vaccine in North Africa

ABSTRACT

Background In the absence of a specific treatment for COVID-19, preventive measures have been implemented to control this pandemic and vaccination is one of them. However, it is crucial to verify the safety and efficiency of every vaccine. The aim was to determinate the predictive factors of side effects and reinfection after COVID-19 vaccine. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2022 among Tunisians infected with COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2022, using an online self-administered questionnaire. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses using binary stepwise logistic regression. Results A total of 1541 was selected from 1911 individuals. Comorbidities affected a quarter of the population (22.3%). Before the initial infection, 39.3% had received full vaccination, and 8.7% had received partial vaccination. By February 2022, the majority (82.9%) had received at least two vaccine doses. The reinfection rate was 30.6%. All vaccines prior to the first infection was identified as a protective factor against reinfection. Inactivated virus vaccinations were less likely to induce adverse effects. Conclusion ach vaccine has its own set of advantages and disadvantages: mRNA-based vaccines had a higher incidence of side effects but all vaccines provided better protection against reinfection.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19 vaccine
• side effects
• reinfection
• safe
• efficiency
• Africa

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to all the individuals and groups who have shared the questionnaire link on Facebook. We also extend our thanks to all the radio and TV channels that have allowed us to distribute the questionnaire.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contributions

The authors SC and SJ designed the work. SC, MT, SS and SJ participated in data analysis and interpretation. SC, SJ, AA, OE and MM drafted the work. SC and ND revised it. SC, MM and MN supervised all the steps of the manuscript editing. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript, agreed to be personally accountable for their own contributions and ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, are appropriately investigated and resolved. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Data availability statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.