Publication date: Jul 11, 2025
Periodic vaccination against COVID-19 persists with a recommendation to vaccinate especially older people and the chronically ill. However, vaccination compliance is low, likely due to concerns regarding adverse events (AEs). To systematically and proactively evaluate the occurrence, onset, duration, and severity of self-reported AEs and comorbidities exacerbations that appeared up to 21-30 days following the third (booster) Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine dose, and to examine the associations between the occurrence of any AEs and sociodemographic and pre-existing comorbidities. A cross-sectional telephone survey among a nationally representative sample of Israeli vaccinated adults aged ≥18 was conducted from September through October 2021. Sociodemographic data was extracted from the Ministry of Health vaccination database, and data on AEs and comorbidities were collected using a structured questionnaire. Overall, 2,049 participants completed the survey (71. 4% response rate). A total of 1360 (66. 4%) reported at least one AE following the booster vaccine. The most frequently reported AEs were local (55. 7%) and mild systemic (48. 6%) reactions (i. e., fatigue, headache, fever), followed by neurological (4. 5%) and allergic (3. 9%) reactions. Exacerbation of comorbidities following the booster dose was most frequently reported by individuals with autoimmune or mental conditions. Most local (80. 1%) and systemic (69. 5%) reactions lasted up to three days. Only 8. 3% sought medical care. Menstrual changes were reported by 9. 6% of women aged
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Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | comorbidity |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| disease | MESH | chronically ill |
| pathway | REACTOME | Reproduction |