Abstract

Alice Reid38132*, Finn Highfield38133 and Arpana Verma38134

Introduction: Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. This had led to the development of many novel vaccines for which effective post-vaccination surveillance is essential. This study aims to synthesize post-vaccination surveillance of physical side-effects to learn the best method that can be applied to the surveillance of novel COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A full systematic search was performed on four databases following the PRISMA guidelines. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and hand-searching the eligible papers, a total of seven studies were included in this review. The risk of bias within studies and their quality was assessed using the critical appraisal for public health checklist. Results: The seven studies included were from six countries representing both active and passive surveillance systems. The results showed reliability and reproducibility between data across countries. They also provided a good framework for how post-vaccination surveillance can be performed in low-income countries. Conclusions: The reporting of post-vaccine side-effects is essential. Active and passive systems were essential to encourage reporting of AEFIs (Adverse Event Following Immunization) and should be encouraged globally. A combination of active and passive surveillance should be used to monitor adverse events relating to the novel COVID-19 vaccines.