Investigating the Safety of Covid 19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials

Abstract

This systematic review provides a summary of critical analysis of the results of RCT studies about the safety of the Covid 19 vaccine. In general, barring minor side effects, no major side effects were reported with the examined Covid 19 vaccines. Side effects are normal occurrences after vaccination due to the immune response triggered by trauma at the site of injection. Side effects reported by most participants are injection site pain, fever, headache, and fatigue. Very few participants developed adverse drug reactions. The spread of Covid 19 infections can therefore be prevented through administration of the Covid 19 vaccines. Since the different types of vaccines are safe, to increase the immunization coverage, there is a need for consideration of the affordability and availability of the selected Covid 19 vaccine. This systematic review provides evidence that administration of the Covid 19 vaccines should continue. The recommendation is that health care workers should create awareness among people on the need for vaccination. Awareness can be created through social media platforms since the Covid 19 restrictions limit the gathering of people. Besides, the findings of this study can be used as baseline data for the development of a health education plan for patients on the importance of the vaccine. Health care workers should take the role of providing Covid 19 education to all clients seeking services at the health care facility. Implication for policymakers and Hospital managers is that the systematic review provides in-depth information that can be used as a basis for making clinical decisions. The recommendation for policymakers is to develop guidelines and procedures on the strategies to enhance the uptake of the Covid 19 vaccine. The Hospital managers should advocate for an adequate supply of the Covid 19 vaccines and organise for the continuous professional development that involves training health care providers on the safety of Covid 19 vaccines. The implication for research is that this systematic review provides detailed data on the need for future research to enhance the validity and reliability of findings on the safety of Covid 19 vaccines. Future researchers should conduct studies with a longer duration to establish the long-term effects of the covid 19 vaccines. The results of this review show that Covid 19 vaccine is safe, therefore, with increased vaccine coverage, the possibility of controlling the Covid 19 infections is high.