Farhan Saleem*
Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia

Reehana Khawaja
Sarah Medical Center, Chicago Illinois, USA

*Corresponding address: Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia
Email: dr.farhansaleem13@gmail.com

doi: https://doi.org/10.63137/jsteam.115735                                                                                                               

Keywords: Community; Data; Health; Patient; Public; Vaccines

ABSTRACT

Objective

This study aimed to describe the self-reported adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination among international travelers entering Australia and to examine associations between reported reactions and vaccine type, demographic factors, comorbidity, and prior COVID-19 infection.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 1,435 international travelers arriving in Australia between April and November 2022 who had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine overseas. Adverse reactions were self-reported via a validated questionnaire administered through Google Forms. Severity was rated on an 11-point numerical rating scale and categorised a priori as mild (1–3), moderate (4–6), or severe (7–10). Associations with demographic and clinical factors were assessed using
chi-square tests (crude ORs) and binary logistic regression (adjusted ORs), stratified by vaccine type.

Results

Overall, 947 participants (65.9%) reported at least one adverse reaction. The most common symptoms were injection-site pain (47.2%), fatigue (22.8%), headache (18.0%), and myalgia (11.5%). The majority of reactions were mild (93.0%), and 74.1% of affected participants required no medical care. Pfizer-BioNTech recipients reported significantly more adverse reactions per person than Sinopharm recipients (2.48 ± 2.27 vs 1.72 ± 1.79; p < 0.001; crude OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.05–1.56). First-dose reactions were more
frequent with Sinopharm, while second-dose reactions predominated with Pfizer-BioNTech. After adjustment, female sex, low income, and older age were significant predictors in one or both vaccine groups; comorbidity was not independently associated.

Conclusion

Adverse reactions were predominantly mild and self-limiting across both vaccine platforms. Platform-dependent differences in reactogenicity profile and dose-specific patterns were observed, consistent with the existing post-marketing literature.

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How to Cite this: Saleem F, Khawaja R. Self-Reported Adverse Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccines Among International Travelers
Entering Australia. J Sci Technol Educ Art Med. 2024;1(1):1-8

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.