Pre-Vaccination Profiles and Factors Associated with Suspected COVID-19 Infection in Vaccine Candidates in The Democratic Republic of Congo: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The aim of this study was a pre-vaccination profile assessment to identify risks for adverse events. Methods: Cross-sectional, analytical study including 1,500 individuals presenting for COVID-19 vaccination at the Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa between April 19 and December 31, 2021. Results: Of 1500 individuals examined, 69.3% were male (sex ratio 3H/1F), mean age 47.5±16.0 years. A significant inverse relationship was observed between age and AST on the one hand (p=0.015); and age and ALT on the other (p=0.011). The correlation was 46.3% for AST and 46.9% for ALT. A total of 9.5% of individuals presenting for vaccination had an NLR greater than or equal to 2, signifying a COVID-19 infection. Female gender (aOR: 2.94 IC95%: 1.99-3.96), the presence of comorbidity (aOR: 2.83; 95%CI: 1.88-3.88), the presence of abnormal PAL (aOR: 2.12; 95%CI: 1.24-3.62) and the presence of abnormal RBC (aOR: 1.92; 95%CI: 1.22-3.01) were the factors independently associated with the COVID-19 infection in the study population. Conclusion: The results show a normal biological profile, but they highlight the importance of certain simple biological markers in screening for COVID-19 infection in an asymptomatic population.