WHO Warns of Potential Vaccine Syringe Shortage Next Year

Published: Dec. 6, 2021, 8 p.m.

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The World Health Organization announced the possibility of a global shortage of syringes in 2022 for the COVID-19 vaccine in the 1 billion to 2 billion range.

UN News reported a WHO senior adviser, Lisa Hedman, warned many may find themselves missing routine vaccinations unless manufacturing picks up.

Hedman also said over 6.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines are currently administered globally per year. That number nearly doubles the routine amount of inoculations annually delivered.

Hedman says, \\u201c[Given] the global manufacturing capacity of around six billion a year for immunization syringes, it\\u2019s pretty clear that a deficit in 2022 of over a billion could happen if we continue with business as usual.\\u201d

To add another hurdle, syringes require 10 times more transportation space than a vaccine, which makes them susceptible to delays.

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