Why we don’t aspirate when we vaccinate
Recently the Saskatchewan Health Authority has had a number of individuals ask to have their COVID-19 and influenza vaccines aspirated before being vaccinated. We don’t aspirate vaccinations, and don’t need to.
At times, health professionals will insert a needle in an arm and pull back the needle’s plunger to see if any blood fills the syringe. This is called aspirating, which is useful for providing some medications; and is a way to make sure medication isn’t accidentally injected into a vein or blood vessel, which can be dangerous.
Both the Canadian Immunization Guide and the Saskatchewan Immunization Manual do not recommended aspiration for any immunization. Vaccines are delivered to large muscles in the upper arm or thigh, where there is no risk of nearby veins or large blood vessels. As well, aspiration can cause vaccinations to be more painful, which is something we would all like to avoid.
Simply put, there is no benefit to aspirating vaccinations.
