Comparison of COVID 19 vaccines adverse events between obese/overweight cases and normal-weight ones

Data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in obese or overweight subjects are limited and have been conducted in several studies with a small sample size worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the incidence of adverse events after the first and second doses of Sinopharm and COVID-19 booster in overweight and obese subjects compared to normal weight subjects.

261 subjects who had received three doses of COVID-19 vaccine (two doses of Sinopharm + Sinopharm or PastoCovac or PastoCovac Plus booster) were enrolled in the study. Subjects' demographic characteristics and vaccine adverse events were recorded in a questionnaire during a telephone interview on days 7 and 21 after each dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Subsequently, the frequency of adverse events was compared between the 3 study groups.

Of the 261 participants, 59 were obese (BMI ≥ 30), 96 were overweight (BMI = 25-29.9), and 106 were normal weight (BMI = 24.9-18). The overall frequency of adverse events after all three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine was higher in obese subjects than in overweight or normalweight subjects. Pain at the injection site was the most common adverse event reported within seven days of booster vaccination in all groups. No adverse events occurred after receiving the PastoCovac booster in obese/overweight subjects, and the incidence of adverse events after PastoCovac plus booster and Sinopharm booster administration was similar. Overall, no serious vaccine-related adverse events were observed in the three groups.

The results of this study indicate that the inactivated and protein-based COVID -19 vaccines are safe and did not cause serious adverse events in obese or overweight individuals. In addition, the PasteCovac booster is more suitable for these people because it has no adverse effects. Therefore, further studies with a larger sample size are needed to identify a more effective booster with fewer adverse events in obese subjects