The current acute shortage of syringes for administering COVID-19 vaccine in Africa and other emerging nations, is yet another indication of how disruptive the SAR-CoV-2 virus driven disease has been on the global supply chain.
A spike in demand for auto-disable (AD) syringes that has outstripped supply and disruption of the global shipping transport by COVID-19 is fueling the syringe shortage crisis especially in Africa where the World Health Organization (WHO) warns countries are staring at a looming threat as “syringe supplies will dry up.” (1)
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti says although syringes “sound like a very small item in the big picture of rolling out vaccines,” inadequate supply of means one “cannot put shots into people’s arms.”
The situations persists even after the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), which procures and supplies around 600-800 million syringes for regular immunization programmes annually, previously confirmed adequate supply of AD syringes of 0.5ml and 0.3ml size and safety boxes for 2021. WHO predicts a crisis could be in offing should the anticipated delivery of COVID-19 vaccine precede arrival of the syringes. (2)
According to Ms Moeti “Vaccine shipments to the continent have already ramped-up and are expected to increase into next year (2022), but the scarcity of syringes could paralyse progress, for COVID-19 vaccine and routine immunization.” (ibid)
Since syringes are mostly transported in bulk, wholesale medical supply companies, suppliers and consumers prefer conveying them by ship to destination markets and the current global COVID-19 situation has disrupted shipping schedules that could lead to lead to delays.
“A mismatch in syringe availability could delay giving vaccines or compel countries to use non-autodisable syringes, which would be a major step backward,” says Courtney Jarrahian, portfolio leader of packaging and delivery technologies at PATH, a US-based international, nonprofit global health organization. (ibid)
UNICEF , which hopes to supply up to 1 billion syringes and 10 million safety boxes to different by the end of this year, estimates a shortage of nearly two billion auto-disposable syringes needed for COVID-19 vaccine and routine immunizations. (3)
The Africa syringe shortage crisis is likely to get worse should the planned delivery of 40 million doses be achieved through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, (COVAX), a worldwide initiative by Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and WHO, which promotes equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Additionally, the African Union, a continental union consisting of 55 member states in the continent of Africa, has previously announced plans to buy 110 million Moderna doses with at least 15 million expected by the end of 2021 hence the urgency to acquire the syringes in good time.
There is pressure to step-up increase global syringe production as survival of large populations that are vulnerable to COVID-19 in emerging regions such as Africa and Asia, depend on a sustainable and timely supply of the pharmaceutical tubing product.
“Early next year (2022), COVID-19 vaccines will start pouring into Africa, but a scarcity of syringes could paralyse progress,” Ms Moeti warned. (ibid)
Previously, the COVAX Facility, had expressed optimism in Africa securing business deals with syringe manufacturers to deliver the pharmaceutical tubing technology “to avoid deliveries outpacing the supply of syringes.”
Global syringe market players such as Becton Dickinson, Gerresheimer's Buender Glas subsidiary Schott and MGlas/Nipro have in respective reports indicated an increase in syringe sales partly fueled by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, German-based Gerresheimer, which manufactures primary packaging products for medication and drug delivery devices, says COVID-19 “has heightened awareness and increased the significance of a functioning healthcare system, good provision of drugs and medical technology as well as access to preventive healthcare.” (4)
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