{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T02:24:25Z","timestamp":1790043865809,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,7]],"date-time":"2022-12-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1670371200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the evidence on the adverse events (AEs) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations in Saudi Arabia. A computerized search in MEDLINE via PubMed and OVID, Scopus, CENTRAL, and Web of Science was conducted using relevant keywords. The NIH tools were used for the quality assessment. A total of 14 studies (16 reports) were included. The pooled analysis showed that the incidence of AEs post-COVID-19 vaccination was 40.4% (95% CI:6.4% to 87%). Compared to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was associated with a lower risk ratio (RR) of wheezing (RR = 0.04), fever (RR = 0.32), chills (RR = 0.41), headache (RR = 0.47), dizziness (RR = 0.49), and joint pain (RR = 0.51). The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was associated with significantly higher RR of general allergic reactions (RR = 1.62), dyspnea (RR = 1.68), upper respiratory tract symptoms (RR = 1.71), and lymphadenopathy (RR = 8.32). The current evidence suggests that the incidence of AEs following COVID-19 vaccines is 40%; however, most of these AEs were mild and for a short time. The overall number of participants with AEs was higher in the Pfizer group compared to the AstraZeneca group; however, the AstraZeneca vaccine was associated with a higher RR of several AEs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines10122089","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,8]],"date-time":"2022-12-08T02:17:57Z","timestamp":1670465877000},"page":"2089","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Adverse Events of COVID-19 Vaccination among the Saudi Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Abdulaziz","family":"Alhossan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh P.O. Box 11451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amjad Khalid","family":"Alsaran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh P.O. Box 11451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5233-1704","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Afnan Hussain","family":"Almahmudi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah P.O. Box 21955, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3099-0810","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ziad Saad","family":"Aljohani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Hail, Hail P.O. Box 2440, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed Rajeh","family":"Albishi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah P.O. Box 21955, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA), Riyadh P.O. Box 22490, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1020-0666","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahoud Khashman","family":"Almutairi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Unaizah-Qassim P.O. 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