Will a COVID-19 Vaccine Syringe Crisis Emerge from China?

Order Surge Causes 4x Price Increase Per Unit
Concerns Over Vaccination Delays Due to Supply Disruptions

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] With the start of COVID-19 vaccination, the price of syringe supplies in China has surged fourfold. China is known to supply 80% of the world's medical syringes, raising concerns about delays in COVID-19 vaccination due to syringe supply disruptions.

▲(This photo is not related to the article) [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

According to the state-run Global Times on the 29th, as orders for syringes surged worldwide, including the United States, the price per syringe, which was 0.1 yuan (KRW 17.21), soared to 0.4 yuan (KRW 68.84).

The media reported that as health authorities in major countries such as the United States approved emergency use of vaccines, orders flooded Chinese syringe companies, causing supply problems.

Shanghai Kangdelai Group, a major syringe manufacturer in China, explained that it supplies 80% of its total syringe production to the United States and the United Kingdom, and currently orders are backed up until August. A company official said, "Our current production capacity has reached its limit, but additional orders keep coming in," adding, "New orders can be fulfilled around August, seven months later."

The Global Times stated that Becton Dickinson, a U.S. company with factories in China, plans to supply a total of 286 million syringes to the United States by March, but only 40 million of these are syringes equipped with Low Dead Space technology. Despite the U.S. government mobilizing the Defense Production Act (DPA), supply has been insufficient, leading to procurement from Chinese companies.

As of 2019, the major importers of Chinese syringes were the United States, Mexico, Germany, Costa Rica, Spain, Switzerland, France, Korea, and the United Kingdom.

The media, citing Chinese syringe companies, forecasted that some production disruptions are inevitable due to the Lunar New Year holiday. Consequently, it is expected that the price per syringe will reach an all-time high after March.

Meanwhile, the Global Times reported that although syringe demand is expected to surge due to COVID-19 vaccination, Chinese companies are hesitant to invest in facilities. Since vaccines have been developed, it is anticipated that COVID-19 will not be prolonged, and Chinese companies are reluctant to make additional facility investments, the media added.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.