Side-effects of COVID-19 vaccines among the Saudi population: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To measure and assess the side-effects of Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines on residents of Saudi Arabia, as well as provide a database that gives insight into the relative safety of these 2 COVID-19 vaccines. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the side-effects of the two COVID-19 vaccines. The study was initiated on the 5th of June 2021 at Hail University, Hail, Saudi Arabia. The information was collected through an online survey designed on Google forms. The questionnaire was pre-tested for validity, with all information carefully reviewed. RESULTS: The study included 2,530 participants from different regions of Saudi Arabia, with a mean age of 26.9 ± 12.4 years old. The most common vaccine among the study group was Pfizer, which 73.8% of the population were provided; the remaining 26.2% received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Regarding the Pfizer vaccine, the common systemic side-effects followed the first dose, included headaches, followed by muscle pain, fever, and joint pain. Those who had the AstraZeneca vaccine reported a few more side-effects. For example, during the first dose fever was reported as the most common side-effect, followed by headache, muscle pain and fatigue. CONCLUSION: The present study confirmed that vaccine side-effects are more frequently reported by smokers and those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Further studies are needed to acquire a better understanding of the association between risk factors and the experiencing of post-vaccine side-effects.

Awareness and Knowledge of Amblyopia: A Cross-Sectional Study Among the Population of Hail City, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Amblyopia, also known as the lazy eye, is the reduction of the best-corrected visual acuity of one or both eyes that cannot be attributed exclusively to a structural abnormality of the eye. This study investigated the Hail population's awareness of amblyopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), from May to October 2022. Data entry and analysis were done using RStudio (R version 4.1.1). Results This study included 496 of the general population (23.8% males and 76.2% females), and the majority of them had a university degree (65.7%). Of the population, 52.4% knew the definition of amblyopia, 43.4% knew the treatment of amblyopia, and 85.1% knew the importance of checking the child's vision before school to ensure normal development. In 35.7% of the population, the main source of information was the internet and social media. The median knowledge score of participants was 4 (interquartile range (IQR): 3-5) with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 9. Based on the univariate analysis, participants aged 41 years or older had significantly lower knowledge scores (ß = -0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.81 to -0.99, p = 0.049), whereas respondents with a positive family history of amblyopia had a significantly higher knowledge score (ß = 0.32, 95%CI: 0.02 to 0.61, p = 0.034). Conclusions This study assessed the awareness and knowledge of amblyopia among the population in Hail city. According to our data, we found a significantly poor awareness and knowledge compared to other big cities in the same country such as Riyadh and Jeddah. This indicates that knowledge in smaller cities is deficient in enough and accurate sources of knowledge of eye conditions.