WHO Warns about the Massive Syringe Shortage in the Upcoming Year

The World Health Organization on Tuesday claimed that there could be a shortage of up to 200 crore syringes in 2022 which will create a great impact on vaccinations globally. WHO also stated that this crisis might encourage the reuse of syringes and needles in poor countries. In order to avoid such an unhealthy crisis, National Health authorities should plan their needs ahead.

According to the resources around 6.8 billion vaccinations have been supplied globally which is twice the amount when compared to the total manufacturing capacity of regular syringes for vaccines per year. It shows that the world could face a shortage of two billion syringes in 2022.

 It has been reported that 70% of the people in the world have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The shortage of syringes occurs after the continuous flow of COVID-19 vaccine doses. The world’s least protected region is Africa and they are already facing delays in receiving syringes. 

Based on the scenario, around seven billion people are in need of covid vaccine (two doses). And according to WHO World Health Organisation, if manufacturing does not pick up we might face around two billion scarcity of syringes. Due to the scarcity of syringes, routine childhood vaccination is going to be impacted. The syringe shortage is already getting complicated with the COVID-19 vaccinations in Rwanda. The shortage of syringes might lead to the expiration of the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine shortage.