Editing 2402: Into My Veins

{{comic
| number    = 2402
| date      = December 23, 2020
| title     = Into My Veins
| image     = into_my_veins.png
| titletext = "Okay, for the last time, the shot is free, so we can't--" "Shut up and take my money!"
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}. It also references a common {{w|Internet meme|meme}}.

Two of the next four comics also contain references to the vaccine, [[2404: First Thing]] and [[2406: Viral Vector Immunity]], and the first of these, like this one, additionally references a common Internet trend.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most consequential and broadly unpleasant events in living memory.{{Citation needed}}  As of the publication of this strip, it is estimated to have caused over 1.5 million deaths worldwide, with over 300,000 deaths in the United States, and many more serious cases, often with lasting impacts.  Even for those who have been spared infection, measures to slow the spread of the virus have been highly impactful, and have been ongoing for nearly a year.

As a consequence of all of this, many people (including, presumably, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]]) are excited for the vaccine, which will hopefully end the pandemic. This comic shows [[Cueball]] clearly thrilled to receive the vaccine. "Inject this directly into my veins" is a meme based on a line (from ''{{w|The Simpsons}}''): in the episode "{{W|A Star Is Burns}}", an alcoholic character wins a lifetime supply of beer, and replies "just hook it to my veins". The meme is typically applied to things that are not injected at all (such as a form of media or entertainment) to express exaggerated enthusiasm.  When Cueball applies the meme to the COVID-19 vaccine, it causes some confusion, because the vaccine ''is'' delivered by injection, but not {{w|Intravenous therapy|directly into a vein}}. The medical staff delivering the vaccine have apparently heard this or similar lines frequently, and appear to take it literally, explaining that it's intended to be administered intramuscularly (usually in the upper arm).  In fact, at least [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34406358/ one study] has shown that inadvertent intravenous injection of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may induce myopericarditis, i.e., inflammation of the pericardium (tissue surrounding the heart), although [https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/covid-19-vaccines/is-it-true/is-it-true-does-injecting-into-the-bloodstream-instead-of-muscle-cause-tts-or-myocarditis this claim has been disputed].

The title text references another such meme, [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shut-up-and-take-my-money "Shut up and take my money,"] which derives from the 2010 "{{w|Attack of the Killer App}}" episode of ''{{w|Futurama}}''. This meme, like the first, expresses extreme and immediate desire for something, with the implication that the speaker is not only willing but eager to pay whatever it costs, and is too excited to wait for a sales pitch or for any warnings or disclaimers. The COVID-19 vaccine is being provided free of charge to Cueball, so taking his money is entirely unnecessary (and possibly illegal). Once again, this is a source of potential confusion because, under the American healthcare system, many people likely will have to pay at least part of the cost of vaccination. The workers administering it could easily confuse the meme for a genuine request.

This was the last comic before this years [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]]. It was about the Covid-19 vaccine. The last comic before the 2021 Christmas comic, [[2558: Rapid Test Results]], was about Covid-19 tests.

==Transcript==
:[Close up of Cueball.]
:Cueball: Yesssss
:Cueball: Inject this directly into my veins

:[Beat panel. Ponytail looks down at a clipboard while Cueball is looking at her.]

:[Zoom out to reveal that Cueball is standing by a stool, with Ponytail in front of him with a clipboard and syringe and Hairy behind him with a box of bandages and a first-aid kit.]
:Ponytail: Ok, but the vaccine is intramuscular...
:Hairy: Why do people keep ''saying'' that?
:Cueball: Sorry, sorry.
:Cueball: Just excited.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]