The epidemiology, immunology and genetics of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines

Vaccines against COVID-19 are the light at the end of the tunnel, and the only way to end the ongoing pandemic. At the moment the largest mass vaccination ever is ongoing in Sweden, and people are anxious about side effects. Many remember the autoimmune disease, narcolepsy, induced by the Pandemrix-vaccine in Sweden 2009-2010.

All approved vaccines are tested in tens of thousands of individuals, but rare and serious adverse reactions to a vaccine are often only discovered after its introduction to the market.

The most important way to build trust in the vital COVID-19 vaccines is to take possible adverse events seriously, and investigate their underlying mechanisms, which is the aim of this proposal.

Here we take advantage of the established collaborative networks SWEDEGENE, the COVID Human Genetic effort, the COVID Symptom Study, the register-based national population study to monitor COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness and safety (RECOVAC), and worldwide reporting of adverse events to the WHO Uppsala Monitoring center.

We will identify patients with serious vaccine-induced adverse events, and recruit them for systems immunology and large-scale genetic analyses. In this way, we will unravel underlying immunological mechanisms and genetic risk factors for such adverse events.

We will disseminate this knowledge transparently and as quickly as possible to the community and the world, so that mitigating efforts can be introduced and public confidence in vaccination is maintained.