Impact of media coverage on side effect reports from the COVID-19 vaccine.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Past research shows that media coverage of medicine side effects can produce a nocebo response. New Zealand news media discussed myocarditis following the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This study examined whether side effects mentioned in the media increased compared to control symptoms not mentioned.

Methods

The study analysed 64,086 vaccine adverse reaction reports, retrieved from the medicine safety authority. Generalised linear regressions compared the side effect rate during three discrete periods of media reporting (August 2021, December 2021, April 2022) with the pre-media baseline rate. The outcomes were weekly reports of chest discomfort, monthly reports of chest, heart and breathing symptoms, and myocarditis, pericarditis, and anxiety. Control symptoms were fe

SUBMITTER: MacKrill K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9670676 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature