Publication date: Jul 20, 2025
In Quebec, COVID-19 vaccine uptake among adults was high for the first two doses but decreased for the subsequent booster doses. This study assesses the relationships between attitudes towards vaccination and self-reported experience and severity of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). A web survey of Quebec adults who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was conducted in September 2023. Participants share their level of vaccine hesitancy before vaccination and their experience with AEFIs after receiving a dose. Participants were asked to note the severity of the symptoms they believed were due to vaccination. Intention to receive other vaccines in the future was questioned. Two coders performed a qualitative content analysis on reported AEFIs (N = 3808). Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Among the 8419 vaccinated respondents, 46. 7 % reported having experienced AEFIs. Fatigue or malaise (20. 7 %), injection site disorder (17. 3 %), musculoskeletal pain (11. 2 %), headache (11. 0 %), and fever (10. 6 %) were the most commonly reported, respectively. Respondents who were very hesitant before the COVID-19 vaccine reported more frequently having a severe AEFI compared to those who were not hesitant (25. 0 % vs 3. 4 % =, p
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Headache | Adverse events |
| Qualitative | AEFI |
| Quebec | COVID-19 |
| September | Nocebo effect |
| Vaccinated | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Vaccine hesitancy |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | IDO | site |
| disease | MESH | musculoskeletal pain |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |