Adverse Events and Safety Profile of the COVID-19 Vaccines in Adolescents: Safety Monitoring for Adverse Events Using Real-World Data

Abstract

A COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) has recently been authorized for adolescents in the US. However, the impact of adverse events on adolescents after vaccination has not been fully investigated. To assess the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents, the incidence of adverse events (AEs) in adolescents and adults was compared after vaccination. We included 6304 adolescents (68.14 per 100,000 people) who reported adverse events using vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS) data from 10 May 2021 to 30 September 2021. The mean age was 13.6 ± 1.1 years and women (52.7%) outnumbered men. We analyzed severe and common adverse events in response to the COVID-19 vaccine among 6304 adolescents (68.14 per 100,000 people; 52% female; mean age, 13.6 ± 1.1 years). The risk of myocarditis or pericarditis among adolescents was significantly higher in men than in women (OR = 6.61, 95% CI = 4.43 to 9.88; p < 0.001), with a higher frequency after the second dose of the vaccine (OR = 8.52, 95% CI = 5.79 to 12.54; p < 0.001). In addition, severe adverse events such as multisystem inflammatory syndromes, where the incidence rate per 100,000 people was 0.11 (n = 10), and the relative risk was 244.3 (95% CI = 31.27 to 1908.38; p < 0.001), were significantly higher in adolescents than in adults. The risk of the inflammatory response to the COVID-19 vaccine, including myocarditis, pericarditis, or multisystem inflammatory syndromes, was significantly higher in men than in women, with a higher frequency in adolescents than in adults. The inflammation-related AEs may require close monitoring and management in adolescents.