Worried vaccine accidentally given subq!

Nurses COVID

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I got my first Moderna COVID vax dose yesterday, and I'm worried the person administering it used too short of an IM needle length, and injected it into my deltoid fat pad instead of muscle. I have a high BMI (though perhaps my upper arms aren't huge), and she used what I think was a 1". I had actually meant to request a 1.5 or 2" needle, but totally forgot in all the excitement! Ugh, now of course I'm just ruminating on whether the shot is wasted and I'll never reach max immunity. Any thoughts, comforting or otherwise? Obviously I'll ask for a longer needle for the next one, and I'm thinking that even with subq administration the vaccine would work somewhat... 

TBH I think a LOT of people use 1" needles for deltoid IMs unless the person is gigantic. I feel like nursing school oversimplifies what size needle to use, so people think deltoid=1", rather than assessing the person's size. Anyway, still kinda freaking out, though I suppose there isn't anything I can do to change it at this point...

And of course I've spent most of the past 24 hours trying to measure my deltoid fat pad! Easier said than done. ?

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anyone out there?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

There's just not enough information about the COVID vaccine to know for sure, unfortunately. The CDC does recommend redosing the flu vaccine if it is accidentally given SQ instead of IM, but nothing out there yet about COVID.

It does seem like you may be over-analyzing it too. Was your arm/muscle sore today like it normally is post-flu vaccine? If so, I'd feel comfortable that I received it in my deltoid muscle. 

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.

According to the MD in this article it would be ineffective if given SQ. You should speak to your MD about this for further clarification and any next steps that may be necessary.

 

#DoNotSqueezeMyArm: Doctor Sounds Alarm on How to Properly Inject COVID-19 Vaccine – NBC 6 South Florida (nbcmiami.com)

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

@MNTB, please speak with your primary care provider and/or the vaccine administrator. Medical advice is beyond the scope of Allnurses. We wish you the best. 

Thread closed. 

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