KUALA LUMPUR: Different kinds of needles are used in inoculations – a large bore needle to draw the vaccine from the vials and a smaller needle to administer the jabs.
The Health Ministry made this clarification amid speculation over the needles used to immunise Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine yesterday.
"The different colours of needles mean different bore sizes. The needle used to aspirate from vials is bigger (blue) to ensure smooth extraction. A smaller needle (red or orange) for inoculation ensures less pain and bruising.
"In addition, different needles are required to prevent cross-contamination between patients.
"Importantly, the vaccine drawn from the vial and given to the patient is unchanged," the ministry explained.
Several netizens had raised doubts over the vaccination process, questioning the reason behind the change in the colour of the needles – from blue while drawing the vaccine from the vial, to orange while inoculating the premier.
"Doctors on social media are sharing differing views over 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
Yesterday, Muhyiddin received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Putrajaya District Health Office in Precinct 11, becoming the first Malaysian to receive a jab against the virus, kicking off the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
The vaccination process was televised live on RTM to help reassure Malaysians of the vaccine's safety.
The first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Feb 21 comprising 312,390 doses.