Everyone is aware of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially now that India is fighting the second wave of the pandemic. People are also aware of how the vaccines are administered, with a quick jab to the upper arm.
Many vaccines are administered in the muscle, also called the intramuscular injection, while some vaccines like the rotavirus vaccine, are given orally. There are other vaccines as well that are given just beneath the skin, such as measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines.
Why is a muscle so important while giving the vaccine?
A lot of vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, should be administered through the intramuscular route into the deltoid (a thick, triangular shoulder muscle) or the anterolateral (front) aspect of the thigh. By getting a jab in the arm, one can ensure optimisation ability of the vaccine to provoke an immune response and minimises adverse reactions at the injection site.
As for the COVID-19 vaccines, they are injected to be given into the muscle of the upper arm as it is handy for shots and thought to be less painful than some other areas.
How does a vaccine function?
When a vaccine is administered on the arm or thigh muscle, it gets carried to nearby lymph nodes. The vaccine, after this, is taken to special cells that teach the white blood cells, known as T cells and B cells, to either become killer cells, which seek out and destroy coronavirus-infected cells, or antibody-secreting cells.
Muscles have immune cells
Muscles have immune cells and that is why they are an outstanding vaccine administration site. These immune cells recognise the antigen, which is a tiny piece of a virus or bacteria carried by the vaccine to elicit an immune response.
