The World Health Organisation warns that we could soon experience a global syringe shortage, with a deficit coming close to nearly 2 billion.

Reported first by AFP, this is due to the global COVID-19 vaccine campaign that has administered over 7.25 billion doses -- nearly twice the number of standard vaccinations given in a year.

Lisa Hedman, WHO senior advisor to the Division of Access to Medicines and Health Products, revealed that around 6.8 billion people needing two doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine between now and 2023. The global manufacturing capacity is only of six billion immunisation syringes in a year.

According to Hedman, “'It's pretty clear that a deficit in 2022 of over a billion [needles] could happen if we continue with business as usual.”

Hedman highlighted that the reason syringes are more prone to supply-chain delays is that they take ten times the space of a vaccine vial. And a massive prolonged shortage of syringes can not just affect COVID-19 vaccination efforts, but also impact treatments for other illnesses.

Moreover, this could force the adoption of unsafe practices such as reusing needles. WHO has pointed out that even sterilising the needle doesn’t remove all the harmful bacteria. The situation could get worse if nations decide to put restrictions on exports.

Hedman urges nations to plan ahead for these shortages and avoid hoarding and panic buying while highlighting that efforts are currently being made to reduce this risk to zero in terms of the actual number that could fall short. 

(With inputs from agencies)