Impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the health status of young female adults from India: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE: Reports suggest that females experience more adverse events post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination compared to males. However, no gender-specific data on the impact of vaccines on the Indian population are available. The present study was intended to understand the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the health status of young Indian female adults and to identify the factors associated with experiencing adverse events post-vaccination. METHODS: A web-based survey was conducted among 433 young female adults who have taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The prevalence and duration of systemic and generalized symptoms were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The factors associated with symptoms post-vaccination were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were computed. A P value of ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 404 surveys returned (93.3%), 371 respondents have received both vaccine doses. COVISHIELD™ was the vaccine of choice among 73% of respondents and nearly 91% of the respondents reported a re-infection post-vaccination. At least one form of the symptom as a side effect of vaccination was experienced by 88.4% (n = 357) of the participants. This included generalized symptoms (77.5%) followed by musculoskeletal (53.2%), localized (38.9%), psychological (35.1%), gastrointestinal (25.5%), gynecological (24%), and endocrine symptoms (22.5%). Presence of chronic ailments was significantly associated with experiencing localized symptoms (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.25-3.91), psychological symptoms (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.34-4.34), neurological symptoms (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.38-6.46), gastrointestinal symptoms (OR 4.76, 95% CI 2.59-8.75), respiratory symptoms (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.29-4.67), endocrine symptoms (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.58-5.38), and gynecological symptoms (OR 4.05, 95% CI 2.21-7.44). Older than 21 years was significantly associated with the experience of gynecologic symptoms (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.24-3.64). Not being re-infected post-vaccination has lower odds of experiencing psychological, gastrointestinal, and respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our result suggests serious planning and counseling are warranted while disseminating COVID-19 vaccination among young female adults especially those with comorbidities to foster trust and coverage.