Determination of Platelets Parameters among People Vaccinated with Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine - COVID Vaccine at Khartoum State -Sudan

Abstract

Background: The global SARS-CoV-2 vaccination program has been hampered by the rare-and initially inexplicable emergence of vaccine-associated thrombosis, particularly venous territory strokes or other venous obstructions, including portal vein thrombosis, which has been dubbed Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT). So, this study was conducted to determine platelets parameters among people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine at Khartoum state. Materials & Methods: A total of 50 AstraZeneca vaccinated participants (22 male and 26 female) were utilized as a case and 50 healthy non-vaccinated participants (21 male and 29 female) were used as control. The age of both groups ranged between (20-62) years with a mean of 34.6 ± 11.9. Platelets parameters were assayed for all patients using Sysmex KX-21. Results: The statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS. The results of the study showed that there was no significant difference in platelets count and platelets indices when compared according to vaccine intake and gender. Also, the most frequent symptoms among vaccinated people were: muscle pain at the site of puncture (56%), fatigue (54%), fever (34%), headache (22%), nausea (16%), and diarrhea (6%) respectively and developed no symptoms (30%). Conclusions: The study concludes that the side effects of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine in Khartoum state, Sudan was consistent with the manufacturers’ data.  Healthcare providers and recipients of vaccines can be more confident about the safety of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.