African countries have attempted to ramp up the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines, but now they face a potential crisis, which could slow down their vaccination momentum: the possible severe shortage of syringes. According to projections by the World Health Organisation (WHO), by next year the continent is likely to have more access to vaccines to meet its immunisation goals. As more vaccine producing countries ease their hoarding practices vaccines will become more available. In addition, some African countries, including Rwanda will start manufacturing vaccines locally, including for exports, and effectively boost the vaccination momentum on the continent. Therefore, the increased supplies of Covid-19 vaccine doses will increase the demand for syringes and other consumables for vaccination. Globally, some major syringe makers like India are struggling to balance global and domestic commitments, and thus putting restrictions on syringe exports in order to cater for their vaccination efforts. If we factor in the experts’ proposals which suggest that going forward people will need to receive a booster jab, then the demand for syringes is even going to be higher. Since the supplies and resources needed to roll out the vaccines are critical, WHO has called for a comprehensive approach to address the challenges. Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, the Director-General of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) says that “The government (of Rwanda) has invested a lot of logistics and funding to get more syringes through different channels, but the challenges remain on the side of production and access to these syringes.” Efforts have been made, but more solutions are needed to address this unfolding problem. The starting point is to include syringe making in the conversations on vaccine manufacturing. Vaccine manufacturers, syringe makers, governments and international organisations must come together and discuss the way forward. African countries must outline their syringe requirements ahead. WHO has urged countries and companies manufacturing essentials like syringes to take a holistic view of the end-to-end process of vaccine rollout so that countries receiving doses are enabled and empowered to plan their rollouts effectively and to proactively address bottlenecks like syringe shortages.
