WHO Warns of Massive Syringe Shortfall in 2022
2 Min Read
Massive immunization campaigns against COVID-19 in 2021 could see 2022 facing a deficit in syringes used to administer the vaccine, hampering global immunization efforts.
-
Syringes are scattered on a black table.
The World Health Organization warned Tuesday of a possible shortfall of up to two billion syringes in the upcoming year, which could potentially hamper vaccine efforts globally if its production is not improved.
The shortages are the result of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, with a surge in syringe usage that amounted to billions, badly impacting global supplies.
Lisa Hedman, the WHO's senior advisor on access to medicines and health products, said as the supply of Covid-19 vaccine doses increases, the supply of syringes needs to keep pace.
"We are raising the real concern that we could have a shortage of immunization syringes, which would, in turn, lead to serious problems, such as slowing down immunization efforts," she told reporters.
"Depending on how the vaccine uptake goes, it could be a deficit of anywhere from one billion to two billion," she added.
Over 7.25 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally, as per an AFP tally, which is nearly double the number of routine vaccinations administered a year, and twice the number of syringes required.
Hedman said one serious result of a shortage could be delays in routine vaccinations, which could have a public health impact "for years to come" if a generation of youngsters misses out on normal childhood vaccinations.
Shortages could also lead to the extremely unsafe practice of reusing syringes and needles.
Hedman said any constraint on syringe supply could only be exacerbated by export restrictions and transportation problems, urging countries to plan syringe needs well in advance to avoid hoarding and panic-buying situations.
Hedman said efforts were being made to "reduce that risk to zero in terms of the actual number that we could be short."
