Health ministry explains different needle colours for Covid jabs

The health ministry today said different needles may be used during injection procedures including the vaccination process as they serve different needs.

In a statement, it said needle colours signify bore size, with blue needles used to aspirate liquid from vials while needles with a smaller bore size – red or orange – are used for inoculation to ensure less pain and bruising.

It also said different needles are needed to prevent cross-contamination between patients.

“Importantly, the vaccine drawn from the vial and given to the patient is unchanged,” it added.

Yesterday, after watching television coverage of Muhyiddin Yassin receiving his first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shot, some parties on social media had alleged that the prime minister might have been given another type of liquid as the colour of the needles changed from blue to orange during the vaccination process.