Bahar Ürün ÜNAL, Burcu Gök ERDOĞAN, Duygu ÜSTÜNOL, Hüseyin CAN
Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine - 2026;17(6):521-526
Aim: The declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people around the world to hesitate to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to its safety and possible side effects. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the tendency to prefer inactivated or mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, the incidence of side effects due to chronic diseases, and pre-vaccination anxiety levels. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study conducted in a single center. 6292 individuals over the age of 18 who applied to the COVID-19 vaccination unit of a university hospital in Türkiye were included. Participants were administered a questionnaire asking about vaccine preference, COVID-19 history, pre-vaccination anxiety level, and presence of chronic diseases. Participants were contacted seven days after vaccination and asked about side effects. Results: The group that preferred mRNA-based vaccines consisted of younger and working individuals on average, while those who preferred inactivated vaccines were older and had more chronic diseases (p<0.001). In participants with chronic diseases who received mRNA-based vaccines, the rate of reporting mild to moderate adverse events was high, but serious adverse events were rare; no serious adverse events were seen in the chronic disease group who received an inactivated vaccine. Similar to the first dose, the frequency of side effects was significantly higher in participants who reported 'I feel good' with the mRNA-based vaccine than with the inactivated vaccine (p<0.001). Conclusion: Providing more counseling and support to individuals with high anxiety levels about vaccine safety before vaccination can help reduce the possible side effects experienced.
