Vaccine hesitancy after taking the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine: A challenge for the COVID-19 vaccination program in India

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination campaigns are trying to curb the pandemic by vaccinating as many individuals and as quickly as possible. The speed of immunization depends upon the availability of the vaccine and vaccine uptake by the communities, which in turn is related to vaccine hesitancy, the safety/efficacy profile of the vaccines, and adverse events following immunization (AEFI). Objectives: (i) To study the AEFI experienced by vaccine recipients and (ii) to assess the subjective effect of these AEFI on the vaccine recipients, that is, perceived disability and opinion regarding taking the vaccine's second dose. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital where a questionnaire was distributed to the medical students who had taken at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Results: Out of 208 participants, more than three-quarters (n = 169, 81.2%) experienced AEFI symptoms within 12 hours of vaccination. The commonest symptoms were pain at the injection site (n =173, 83.2%), body aches (n = 91, 43.8%), fever (n = 88, 42.3%), weakness (n = 86, 41.3%), and headache (n = 72, 34.6%). A majority of the participants reported complete recovery within 13-24 hours. Complete recovery was seen in all the study participants, and no serious event was seen. Twenty (10%) participants reported that they were not confident in taking the second dose of the vaccine. Conclusions: The disability perceived by the vaccine recipients should be taken into consideration in a vaccine with a multi-dose schedule. Pitfalls in alleviating the immunization-related anxiety should be identified and addressed.