MINISTRY EXPLAINS NEEDLES USED ON PM
Different-sized needles used for drawing vaccine from vial and administering it
DIFFERENT needles are used to administer the Covid-19 vaccine: a large bore needle is used to draw the vaccine from vials and a smaller needle is used to administer the jab.
The Health Ministry said this amid controversy and speculation about the needles used to inoculate Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday.
“The different colour of the needle means a different bore size. The needle used to aspirate from a vial is bigger in size (blue) to ensure a smooth extraction.
“A smaller bore-sized needle (red or orange) for inoculation ensures less pain and bruising.
“In addition, different needles are required to prevent crosscontamination between patients.
“Importantly, the vaccine drawn from the vial and given to the patient is unchanged.”
Netizens had questioned the reason behind the change in the colour of the needles from blue when drawing the vaccine from the vial to orange when inoculating the premier.
“Doctors on social media are sharing differing views about this matter.
“One of the questions is why wasn’t the same needle used to draw the vaccine and inject the prime minister?
“We hope the ministry would clarify this,” a Netizen wrote on Facebook.
Muhyiddin received the first dose of the vaccine at the Putrajaya District Health Office, becoming the first Malaysian to receive a jab against the virus, kicking off the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
The vaccination was televised live on RTM to reassure the people of the vaccine’s safety.
The first batch of 312,390 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine arrived here on Sunday.