Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for performing injections with lowered likelihood of infection include needles and other injection means with protective sleeves or sheaths. The protective sleeve can protect the needle before, during, or before and during an injection. The force needed to administer an injection or penetrate an insertion site using an injection device or system with a protective sleeve can be about the same to up to 50% more than the force needed for a system or device without a protective sleeve. The force needed to collapse the protective sleeve can be less than 100 gram-force. The material, the thickness, or both the material and the thickness of the protective sleeve may differ when comparing the portion of the sleeve near the needle tip and the portion near the base of the needle.