Non Compliance and Needle Fears

With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming more readily available, there is the outstanding question of how many people will get vaccinated and will it be enough to help society as a whole achieve herd immunity. Although a vaccine may be the path to regain a life of normalcy, a December New York Times survey found that 25% of all Americans “probably or definitely would not take a coronavirus vaccine.¹

There are many reasons why people are hesitant to become vaccinated;  for some, the thought of getting an injection is reason enough. Tryanphobia, an extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles, affects 20% of the population. ^2,3  Needle fear (vs phobia) is even greater:  In a study evaluating 1,907 children and parents, it was found that 63% of children and 24% of adults were afraid of needles.⁴ When asked, 7% of adults admitted to vaccine non-adherence due to the fear of needles.

Portal Instruments recognizes this anxiety and is dedicated to helping patients – and society – by developing a needle-free injector. We are not available for vaccine delivery (yet), but we envision a world where our needle-free injector is available and driving an increase in vaccinations and ultimately, helping prevent preventable illnesses.

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¹ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. “A New Survey Finds That about a Quarter of Americans Don’t Want to Get Vaccinated.” The New York Times, 15 Dec. 2020. The New York Times, 15 Dec. 2020.
² “Trypanophobia: Test, Definition, and Causes”  Healthline, n.d. Web.
³ Malcolm, Xavia, and Xavia Malcolm. “Trypanophobia- A Fear of Needles.” Health Beat, 29 Jan. 2021, jamaicahospital.org/newsletter/trypanophobia-a-fear-of-needles/
⁴ Taddio A, Ipp M, Thivakaran S, Jamal A, Parikh C, Smart S, Sovran J, Stephens D, Katz J. Survey of the prevalence of immunization non-compliance due to needle fears in children and adults. Vaccine. 2012 Jul 6;30(32):4807-12. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.05.011. Epub 2012 May 19. PMID: 22617633.