Previous COVID-19 Infection Increased Vaccine Adverse Event

Understanding Adverse Events (AEs) associated with COVID-19 vaccination has various public health implications, especially future vaccine hesitancy.

A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom focused on whether individuals with prior history of COVID-19 were more likely to experience AEs after a new vaccination than those without previous COVID-19.

These researchers found of 974 respondents, 27% reported a previous COVID-19 infection.

The proportion of people (81% female, mean age 48) reporting one moderate/severe symptom was higher in the previous COVID-19 group (56% v 47%, OR=1.5 [95%CI, 1.1–2.0], p=.009), with fever, fatigue, myalgia-arthralgia, and lymphadenopathy significantly more common.

In the smaller sensitivity analysis cohort (412 people), similar findings were obtained, although only myalgia and arthralgia remained significant.

This non-peer-reviewed study's finding indicates 'prior COVID-19 infection but not ongoing Long-COVID symptoms, were associated with an increase in the risk of self-reported adverse events following BNT162b2/Pfizer vaccination.'

'And COVID-19 illness-vaccination interval did not significantly influence AEs.'

'This data can support education around vaccine-associated AEs and, through improved understanding, help to combat vaccine hesitancy,' stated these researchers.

Funding for the CHOIS study was from the North East and North Cumbria Academic Health Sciences Network and Siemens Healthcare Ltd, who provided biomarker and serological assays, but had no input into the study design, analysis, or interpretation.