Safety surveillance of the NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine among Koreans aged 18 years and over

BACKGROUND: In the Republic of Korea (Korea), the NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination was administered to 18-year-olds and over from February 14, 2022. This study sought to assess the frequency and severity of reported adverse events following the Novavax COVID-19 vaccination in Korea. METHODS: Adverse events based on two national vaccine safety data were analyzed; the COVID-19 vaccination management system (CVMS) and the text-message survey (TMS). RESULTS: CVMS identified that the reporting rate of adverse events per 100,000 doses were lower after booster doses (84.0) than after dose 1 (254.6) or dose 2 (272.9); and in 65-year-olds and over (83.4) than in 18- to 64-year-olds (168.1). The TMS found that local and systemic adverse events were lower in 65-year-olds and over than in 18- to 64-year-olds (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we identified no major safety issues and fewer adverse events following the Novavax COVID-19 vaccination among 65-year-olds and over in Korea.