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Adverse drug reactions following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination of 3805 healthcare workers cause substantial sick-leave and are correlated to vaccine regimen, age, sex and serological response

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Paper Summary

Paperzilla title
Ouch! My Arm! Side Effects from COVID Vaccines Made Healthcare Workers Call In Sick (Especially After That AstraZeneca One)

In a study of Swedish healthcare workers, different COVID-19 vaccine regimens were associated with varying rates of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), leading to significant sick leave in 12-48% of participants depending on the vaccine. The heterologous regimens and Spikevax were associated with the highest rates of side effects. Younger age and female sex correlated with increased risk of ADRs.

Explain Like I'm Five

Different COVID-19 vaccines caused different levels of side effects in healthcare workers, sometimes so bad they couldn't work. mRNA vaccines seemed to cause the fewest problems.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

One author (Anna-Karin Lidstrom) reported funding from the Olinder-Nielsen Family Foundation. The nature and extent of this funding's influence on the research is unclear.

Identified Limitations

Unrepresentative sample
The study population is heavily skewed towards younger women, which may not accurately reflect the broader population of healthcare workers or the general population.
Recall bias
Relying solely on self-reported symptoms via questionnaires introduces the possibility of recall bias, impacting the reliability of ADR reporting. Some participants might over- or under-report symptoms based on their perception or memory of the experience.
Observational study, no causal link
The study is observational and does not involve random assignment of vaccines. Therefore, it cannot definitively establish causal links between specific vaccine types and adverse reactions. Real-world factors influenced vaccine allocation.

Rating Explanation

This is a reasonably well-conducted observational study with a large sample size. However, its observational nature limits causal inferences, and the sample demographics may not be fully representative of all healthcare workers. The disclosed funding from a family foundation represents a potential, though not necessarily critical, conflict of interest.

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Life Sciences
Subfield: Toxicology

File Information

Original Title: Adverse drug reactions following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination of 3805 healthcare workers cause substantial sick-leave and are correlated to vaccine regimen, age, sex and serological response
Uploaded: August 11, 2025 at 09:57 AM
Privacy: Public