ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Nawfal R. Hussein1, Warveen L. Abdulkareem2, Narin A. Rasheed3 and Mohammed Rashid Ameen3
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Zakho, Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
2Department of Internal Medicine, Azadi Teaching Hospital, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
3Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, College of Health and Medical Technology Shekhan, Duhok Polytechnic University, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Article Number: 8504 | © The Author(s). 2023
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2023;17(3):1783-1790. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.17.3.43
Received: 15 February 2023 | Accepted: 11 August 2023 | Published online: 03 September 2023
Issue online: September 2023
Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness and potential adverse reactions when providing a different Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot to 235 volunteers who had previously received the BBIBP-CorV Sinopharm primary vaccination series. Between February and December 2022, a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Duhok, located within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The individuals included in the study were adults aged 18 and above, who had received a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot following the completion of a two-dose vaccination regimen with Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV). The findings revealed that among those vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV, there were breakthrough infections at a rate of 4.26%, and no significant correlation was identified between post-vaccination infections and factors such as demographics or medical history. Furthermore, individuals who had a Pfizer booster dose experienced breakthrough infections at a rate of 5.73%, and similarly, no link was discovered between this rate and demographic or medical factors. Additionally, the study uncovered that participants commonly experienced side effects, primarily consisting of mild effects at the injection site. The study implies that both the Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccines demonstrate satisfactory safety profiles. It also suggests that giving a heterologous booster dose to individuals who have finished their primary vaccination with the BBIBP-CorV vaccine offers a significant level of protection against infection.

Keywords

COVID-19, Healthcare Workers, Sinopharm, Pfizer, Duhok, Iraq

Article Metrics

Article View: 544

Share This Article

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.