DOH: Vaccination via upper arm, buttocks to have same effect

MANILA, Philippines — Getting vaccinated against Covid-19 through their upper arm or buttocks will have the same effect of having protection against the coronavirus, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III explained this after President Rodrigo Duterte decided to be inoculated in private as he will receive this through his buttocks.

“Ang importanteng katanungan, ‘yun bang epekto ng bakuna magiging pareho kung ituturok mo sa braso o dito sa may buttocks? Pareho lang po ang magiging epekto niyan dahil yan naman po ang kanya pong inilikha is the immune response,” Duque said in a televised briefing.

(The important question is, will vaccinating through the arm and buttocks have the same effect? It has the same effect because it will still make the immune response.)

But Duque said the protocol is to inoculate the jabs on the arm since it will be easier and faster.

While he urged the public to respect Duterte’s decision, Duque expressed hope that the President will change his decision.

“Yun pong binitiwang salita ni Pangulong Duterte, let’s respect that… But hopefully, he might still change his mind because we know that there are many, some world leaders who have openly had themselves vaccinated in public,” Duque said.

Meanwhile, DOH spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire explained that it is possible to inoculate in other parts of the muscles should there be indications that an individual’s arm cannot receive the vaccine.

“Halimbawa yung kanyang deltoid ay masyadong emaciated, payat na payat na, binibigay natin sa ibang parte ng katawan,” Vergeire said.

(For example, one’s deltoid is emaciated or to thin, we can administer it in other parts of their body.)

“Pwedeng doon sa anterolateral part of the thigh or pwede rin po sa puwet, pwede po doon sa upper part of the butt. Maaari pong humanap ng ibang pwedeng pagsaksakan kung sakaling may indikasyon na hindi pwede doon sa kanyang braso ibigay,” she added.

(We can administer on the anterolateral part of the thigh or the upper part of the butt. We can look for other parts to inoculate the vaccine if there’s indication that we can’t inject it to their arm.)

JE