Association between concerns regarding COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and the adverse event rate among healthcare workers

Abstract

Healthcare workers must be vaccinated regularly. However, vaccination-related side effects can lead to sick leaves and decreased willingness to be vaccinated. Negative expectations can cause nocebo effects, potentially increasing the rates of adverse events (AEs). Herein, we evaluated the relationship between concerns regarding the vaccination course and the prevalence rate of AEs after the first and second doses of mRNA vaccines in 982 healthcare workers from the Nuremberg Hospital. Most of our participants were women (78%). Fatigue and headache were the most common systemic AEs. Healthcare workers who were worried about the vaccination process reported significantly more AEs after the first vaccine dose than those who were not worried (80% vs. 68%, P < 0.05). Thus, strategies to minimize concerns could reduce vaccination-related side effects and improve willingness to be vaccinated.

Keywords

Nocebo effects / Self-fulfilling prophecy / Pharmacovigilance

Funding

None.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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