BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Jet Injectors: Getting Your Vaccine Without Needles

Typically, when you get injections at the doctors office, whether it is a flu shot or any number of vaccines that one is advised to take, it is usually injected via syringe/needle. However, there is an alternative way to give people the medication required that doesn’t involve a needle. This is achieved by using a Jet Injector, and this may be more favorable for people who have trypanophobia.

Before understanding and diving into the Jet Injector, we should take a look at how the traditional needle injections work. These injections are doing through syringes. Syringes are “pump[s] consisting of a sliding plunger that fits tightly in a tube.” These syringes, in the medical field, are filled with some vaccine or other fluid that is meant for injection into the body. The syringe was invented in 1853, and is still the main form of medical injections today. These have been so popular and efficient that some people label syringes as the “greatest medical device of all time.”

I’m sure many are no strangers to this syringe, especially with the increased use of them due to their importance in being the delivery system for the COVID-19 vaccine. The syringe is used to get the mRNA vaccine into the blood stream. As talked about in our bio class lessons, the vaccines contents need to be able to reach cells (in this case within the arm) in order to instruct them to produce antibodies  that latch onto the spike protein of COVID-19.

Despite the syringe being widely used and very efficient, it is just not suitable for everybody. For some people they just have trypanophobia and prefer not to use it, while others are better off without it. This is where Jet Injectors come in. Jet Injectors are an alternative to a syringe that do the same job. Jet injectors use a “narrow, high-pressure stream of liquid [that] penetrates the outermost layer of the skin to deliver medication.” These Jet Injectors are either powered by springs or compressed gas (varies based on manufacturer). These found good use in the military as it required less maintenance to use than changing out the needle after each injection. Although that was a use of the Jet Injector in the past, they are currently used as an alternative to the syringe for injection Flu Vaccination.

Luckily, the side effects of the Jet Injector is similar to that of the syringe: soreness, bruising, itching, and redness. So, if you are someone who is not too fond of needles, the Jet Injector could be the solution for you if your doctor has one.

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2 Comments

  1. merrillenmeyerflask

    Wow PhotoSamthesis! I never even knew that this was an option until now – as someone who struggles with trypanophobia, I sure wish this was available to me when I was vaccinated for COVID-19. After doing some initial research on the Jet Injector, I was skeptical that it was less effective than its pointy opponent. Thankfully, I was able to find this study, that claims “he jet injector can be used effectively [and is] less painful than standard needle-syringe methods.”
    Unfortunately, I cannot find a vaccination site that offers jet injections yet. I will keep my fingers crossed ! – Merrillenmeyer

    Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8240573/

  2. lipidliv

    Thank you for sharing this information! I have done some additional research on the side effects of Jet Injectors. However, the Jet Injector may be effective but the jet injectors could bring blood to the surface of the skin while the vaccine is being administered. Those fluids could contaminate the injector, creating the possibility that viruses could be transmitted to another person being vaccinated with the same device.

    This cross-contamination would be very detrimental to the population if it were to occur. I feel as though this insight may help other people better understand not only but the possible bad these injectors may cause. Today’s jet injectors are single-use devices. Though they are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration to deliver a coronavirus vaccine, they do deliver flu vaccines. So we are making improvements.

    I added this comment here to better understand the progress and the effects of Jet Infectors. Thank you for your articles.

    https://moviecultists.com/do-jet-injectors-hurt
    https://www.denverpost.com/2009/01/03/health-risks-halted-use-of-jet-injectors/

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