Exploring Associations Between COVID-19 Bivalent Vaccines and Their Related Adverse Events: A Correlational Study

COVID-19, a global health crisis, prompted rapid vaccine development. Bivalent vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna target both original and Omicron strains. Despite vaccination efforts, the persistence of adverse events underscores the importance of ongoing safety monitoring.

We collected COVID-19 bivalent vaccine adverse event reports from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) (September 15, 2022, to September 1, 2023). The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) categorized reported symptoms into corresponding concepts. Statistical analyses included zero-truncated Poisson regression for estimating symptom rates, logistic regression for identifying risk factors, and Spearman correlation for assessing non-parametric relationships between adverse events in different System Organ Classes (SOCs).

Our analysis of COVID-19 bivalent vaccine adverse events identified significant correlations between SOCs. Notably, a positive correlation (ρ = 0.3) linked Infections (SOC 1) with Respiratory disorders (SOC 13), while a negative correlation (ρ=-0.3) connected Investigations (SOC 23) with Injury (SOC 24). Zero-truncated Poisson modeling estimated an average of 6.179 symptoms per individual, varying by age, gender, and vaccine. Gender and age significantly influence reported adverse events associated with COVID-19 bivalent vaccines. Females generally experienced higher odds for most SOCs compared to males, except for cardiac and product-related issues. Older adults showed a higher likelihood of symptoms across various SOCs, while children and adolescents had distinct susceptibility patterns. Additionally, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were associated with different SOCs, with Moderna linked mainly to immune and skin disorders and Pfizer associated primarily with cardiac and metabolic issues.

In conclusion, our study aligned self-reported items with widely-accepted medical terminology and rigorously analyzed adverse events following COVID-19 bivalent vaccine using advanced statistical methods. The significant findings provide crucial insights, guiding evidence-based strategies and interventions for vaccine safety.