People can choose which part of body they want to be vaccinated — FDA

DOH Usec. Eric Domingo. Screengrab from Department of Health (Philippines) Facebook Live

MANILA, Philippines — The public may choose which appropriate part of their body they want to be injected with Covid-19 vaccines, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday, following Malacañang’s statement that President Rodrigo Duterte will be inoculated on his buttocks.

Health Usec. Eric Domingo, FDA secretary-general, explained that some do not want to be vaccinated on their arms because some vaccine shots leave a scar.

“Meron namang dahilan kung bakit. Halimbawa ayaw niya (vaccine recipient) sa braso, maaari naman. Kamukha noong mga halimbawa, ‘yung bakuna na nagpepeklat sa braso, may mga ganoon na gusto nila sa puwet para kung magpeklat, tago,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo, when asked if the public has a choice on which part of the body they want to get the vaccines.

(Others have a reason why they want it injected in other parts of the body. For example, if he does not want to receive it in his arm, he may be injected in other appropriate parts. Others want to be vaccinated in the buttocks so that the scar left by the vaccination would be hidden.)

According to Domingo, vaccinators normally look for other body parts where vaccines may be injected if the recipient’s arm has rashes or other medical concerns.

However, he also stressed that there are only certain parts of the body where the vaccines can be administered.

“Dapat po kasi sa muscle siya dahil intramuscular ang injection ng mga bakuna na ito, kaya usually kung saan ‘yung pinaka-acccesible na muscle na walang mapipinsala or matatamaan, doon tayo. Kaya ang common site talaga is sa braso dahil walang nerves diyan at blood vessels,” he said.

(It should be injected on a muscle because injection is intramuscular. That’s why the arms are usually the part of the body used in vaccination because it is the most accessible muscle where there will be no nerve or blood vessel that could be damaged.)

If a vaccine will be injected on the buttocks, it should be administered on the “upper outer quadrant,” according to the FDA chief.

He also noted that some babies get vaccinated on their legs instead of their buttocks or arms.

“So maaari naman ‘yun. Hindi naman siya kapag sinabi mo na dito ko gusto, sasabihin sayo, ‘ayoko, kailangan sa braso.’ Hindi rin naman dahil talagang may consent naman dapat ng pasyente,” he added.

(So that is allowed. If you say that you want to receive the vaccine here, the health worker should not say, “no, you should be injected into your arms.” It is because we also need the consent of the patient.)

According to Domingo, those who will administer the Covid-19 shots will be trained on administering the vaccines on different body parts.

JPV