Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37556109›Full record

ArticleDrug safety2023

Adverse Events Following the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Muireann Walton, Vadim Pletzer, Thomas Teunissen, Thomas Lumley, Timothy Hanlon

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug safety, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Muireann Walton *Ministry of Health New Zealand, 133 Molesworth Street, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7305-2261
Vadim Pletzer *Ministry of Health New Zealand, 133 Molesworth Street, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5179-765X
Thomas TeunissenMinistry of Health New Zealand, 133 Molesworth Street, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6901-2577
Thomas LumleyFaculty of Science, Statistics, University of Auckland, Science Centre - MATHPHYSIC - Bldg 303, 38 Princes Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4255-5437
Timothy HanlonMinistry of Health New Zealand, 133 Molesworth Street, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand. tim.hanlon@health.govt.nz.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8700-1107
Ministry of Health · NZUniversity of Auckland · NZ

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIn February 2021, New Zealand began its largest ever immunisation programme with the BNT162b2 mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

objectiveWe aimed to understand the association between 12 adverse events of special interest (AESIs) and a primary dose of BNT162b2 in the New Zealand population aged ≥5 years from 19 February 2021 through 10 February 2022.

methodsUsing national electronic health records, the observed rates of AESIs within a risk period (1-21 days) following vaccination were compared with the expected rates based on background data (2014-2019). Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were estimated for each AESI with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using age group-specific background rates. The risk difference was calculated to estimate the excess or reduced number of events per 100,000 persons vaccinated in the risk period.

resultsAs of 10 February 2022, 4,277,163 first doses and 4,114,364 second doses of BNT162b2 had been administered to the eligible New Zealand population aged ≥5 years. The SIRs for 11 of the 12 selected AESIs were not statistically significantly increased post vaccination. The SIR (95% CI) for myo/pericarditis following the first dose was 2.3 (1.8-2.7), with a risk difference (95% CI) of 1.3 (0.9-1.8), per 100,000 persons vaccinated, and 4.0 (3.4-4.6), with a risk difference of 3.1 (2.5-3.7), per 100,000 persons vaccinated following the second dose. The highest SIR was 25.6 (15.5-37.5) in the 5-19 years age group, following the second dose of the vaccine, with an estimated five additional myo/pericarditis cases per 100,000 persons vaccinated. A statistically significant increased SIR of single organ cutaneous vasculitis (SOCV) was also observed following the first dose of BNT162b2 in the 20-39 years age group only.

conclusionsA statistically significant association between BNT162b2 vaccination and myo/pericarditis was observed. This association has been confirmed internationally. BNT162b2 was not found to be associated with the other AESIs investigated, except for SOCV following the first dose of BNT162b2 in the 20-39 years age group only, providing reassurances around the safety of the vaccine.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesPericarditisAdolescentAdultBNT162 VaccineChildChild, PreschoolHumansNew ZealandRNA, MessengerVaccinationYoung AdultBNT162 VaccineCOVID-19 VaccinesRNA, Messenger

Identifiers

PMID37556109
PMCPMC10442303
OpenAlexW4385683871

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.