A joint research team led by Professor Park Wan Beom of Seoul National University Hospital and Professor Song Kyung-Ho of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in South Korea investigated the relationship between vaccine side effects and antibody formation in a total of 135 people who received AstraZeneca vaccine (42 patients) and Pfizer vaccine (93 patients).

Both AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines currently being used in Korea may cause local side effects (such as injection site pain, swelling, redness) and systemic side effects (fatigue, muscle pain, headache, fever, etc.).

As a result of the study, the frequency and severity of side effects after the second dose of Pfizer vaccine and the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine were similar. However, fever was more common among AstraZeneca vaccinated people (36%) than Pfizer vaccinated subjects (19%).

It was confirmed during the study that there was no clear association between local or systemic side effects and antibody formation in both vaccines. In other words, it means that the effect of these vaccines cannot be estimated by the side effects of the vaccine.

Professor Park Wan Beom (Department of Infectious Diseases) said, “This study is the first to evaluate the correlation between the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and immunity.