Shots-gun
No. This post is not about firearms nor calling for the front seat, but jet injectors.
A jet injector is a medical device used for vaccination that uses a high-pressure, narrow stream of fluid to penetrate the skin instead of a hypodermic needle. It has been around for quite a while. Invented in the 1960s, it was often used to vaccinate servicemen in the armed forces. The best use of it is for mass vaccination efforts to eradicate smallpox and other diseases as shown in recent history.
Efficacy wise, clinical trial data used in FDA’s approval of the jet injector flu vaccine (AFLURIA) demonstrated that vaccination using this jet injector method provided a non-inferior level of immune protection compared to the same flu vaccine administered via traditional flu shot.
Sounds good! But why did I not see it everywhere and why did you bring up this matter out of nowhere?
A customer of mine was an ex-army serviceman. He was asking me about the device when he was observing me giving a shot to her girlfriend (a highly uncomfortable situation). He wondered why it was not used in modern day pharmacies as we always required high efficiency. It is also beneficial for people who are afraid of needles and it is relatively less painful.
Good questions and why?
So I did a little more research with CDC and Mayo clinic.
It turns out that air gun phased out of mass vaccination field in early 2000. Simply because of this reason: Safety. Due to the high pressure and velocity to force the medicine through a person’s skin, the force could bring blood or other body fluids to the surface of the skin while vaccine is being administered. Imagine if the person before you is a blood-borne disease carrier, the same virus or infection could come to you when receiving the shot. The main concerns are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
As you can see, it is not a mistake. Until we get better and safer means of technology (last time I’ve heard about a band-aid with nano-sized needles giving influenza vaccine), hypodermic needles are not going away.
Classical Recommendation:
Haydn: Symphony №60 in C major “Il Distratto” conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
P.S. Haydn made a special finale feature: he put in a musical joke by starting with an energetic prestissimo and grinds to a sudden halt following a spectacularly discordant orchestral flourish (sounds like a mess with pun intended). After 10–15 seconds later, they resume playing.