Osong Public Health Res Perspect.  2022 Jun;13(3):230-237. 10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0122.

Safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccination among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old in the Republic of Korea

• Kim S
• Hwang I
• Ko M
• Kwon Y
• Lee YK

• KMID: 2530880
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0122

Abstract

Objectives
This study aimed to disseminate information on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine safety among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years in the Republic of Korea.
Methods
Two databases were used to assess COVID-19 vaccine safety in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who completed the primary Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series. Adverse events reported to the web-based COVID-19 vaccination management system (CVMS) and collected in the text message-based system were analyzed.
Results
From March 5, 2021 to February 13, 2022, 12,216 adverse events among 12- to 17-year-olds were reported to the CVMS, of which 97.1% were non-serious adverse events and 2.9% were serious adverse events, including 85 suspected cases of anaphylaxis, 74 suspected cases of myocarditis and/or pericarditis, and 2 deaths. From December 13, 2021 to January 26, 2022, 10,389 adolescents responded to a text message survey, and local/systemic adverse events were more common after dose 2 than after dose 1. The most commonly reported events following either vaccine dose were pain at the injection site, headache, fatigue/tiredness, and myalgia.
Conclusion
The overall results are consistent with previous findings; the great majority of adverse events were non-serious, and serious adverse events were rare among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years following Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination.

Keyword

Adolescent; COVID-19; Safety; Vaccination; Vaccines