COVID-19 vaccination among Spanish nephrologists: Acceptance and side effects

INTRODUCTION: Four vaccines against Covid-19 have been approved to date. Their acceptance and safety have not been addressed on healthcare workers. The aim of the present study is to evaluate vaccination rates and side effects among Spanish nephrologists. METHODS: All the Spanish nephrologists were invited to participate in this survey. Data on demographics, Covid-19 infection status, received vaccine doses and side effects were collected. Acceptance and side effects were analyzed for Covid-19 vaccination. Factors associated to vaccination were assessed and a multivariate adjusted model was constructed to determine independent predictors for Covid-19 vaccine side effects. RESULTS: A total of 708 nephrologists answered the survey (460 [65%] women, mean age 44 ± 11 years). Six-hundred and eight (86%) had received the first dose and 513 (72%) were fully vaccinated. Most of the subjects (565, 93%) received BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech®) vaccine. Among vaccinated nephrologists, 453 (75%) presented any side effect; the most frequent was local reaction (68%), followed by myalgia (44%), tiredness (39%) and headache (34%). Age (OR 0.97, 95%CI [0.95–0.99], p < 0.0001) and prior Covid-19 infection (OR 2.37, 95%CI [1.27–4.42], p = 0.007) were independent predictors for developing side effects with Covid-19 vaccine. Overall side effects were similar with both vaccines, being myalgia (p = 0.006) and tiredness (p = 0.032) more frequent with the Pfizer-BioNTech® one. CONCLUSION: Age and prior Covid-19 infection were predictors of vaccination side effects among Spanish nephrologists.