SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-related adverse events in Zimbabwe : the need to strengthen pharmacovigilance in resource-limited settings

Abstract

The emergency use approvals (EUAs) of vaccines for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) starting in December 2020 was a welcome event. Since their discovery, vaccines have become one of the best public health interventions to reduce the spread, morbidity and mortality associated with rapidly progressive infectious diseases. Unlike previous vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were quickly developed and authorised when their safety and effectiveness data were not widely publicly available. Understandably, given the unprecedented socio-economic burden, the COVID-19 pandemic presented, expedited solutions for control, including vaccination, were warranted. Whilst part of the Janssen vaccine clinical trials were conducted in South Africa, safety and effectiveness studies for the majority of the vaccines were conducted outside the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Therefore, safety data specific for this population group were lacking.