Young Age, Female Sex, and No Comorbidities Are Risk Factors for Adverse Reactions after the Third Dose of BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: A Prospective Cohort Study in Japan

Background: This study compared the adverse events (AEs) of the second and third doses of BNT162b2, as well as investigated the impact of vaccine recipients’ background and vaccination interval on the AEs of the third dose. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey of AEs among health care workers at Osaka University Dental Hospital. Chi-square tests were performed to compare AEs to the administration of second and third vaccine doses. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing the presence of AEs using age, sex, comorbidities, and the vaccination interval. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was calculated to investigate the correlation between age, vaccination interval, and severity of each AE. Results: The third dose of BNT162b2 was associated with significantly more frequent or milder AEs than the second dose. Logistic regression analyses detected significant differences in six items of AEs by age, three by sex, two by comorbidities, and zero by vaccination interval. Consistently, the risk of AEs was greater among younger persons, females, and those without comorbidities. Significant negative correlations were detected between age and vaccination interval, and between age and the severity of most AEs. Conclusions: Young, female, and having no comorbidities are risk factors for AEs after the third dose of BNT162b2, while vaccination interval is not.