Syringe makers step up output as India plans mass vaccination

New Delhi: With India set to begin mass Covid-19 vaccination in a couple of weeks, top syringe makers in the country are eagerly waiting for the licenses so that they can supply the required numbers to avoid the last-minute rush or shortage.

Reliable sources told IANS that nation's top syringe manufacturers are ready to supply nearly 1.8 billion syringes required for hassle-free vaccination and are currently waiting for the tenders to be open.

According to Rajiv Nath, Managing Director of Hindustan Syringes & Medical Devices Ltd (HMD), the estimated demand in India would be around 900 million pieces of different kinds of syringes for just one shot of the vaccine, considering 60-70 per cent of the country gets vaccinated.

"The number would amplify to 1.8 billion if the vaccine India chooses needs two shots," Nath said. He also stressed that the time taken to vaccinate all of India is linked to what percentage of population is targeted and how many vaccine dosages actually needed.

For example, to vaccinate 60-70 per cent of India, it may take little less than one year approximately if there is a single dose and it may be 1.5 years if a double dose is needed.

"We are currently producing approximately one lakh pieces of 0.5 ml Kojak AD syringes per hour, 24 hours a day. It's going to be a challenge to vaccinate over 1.5-2 lakh people every hour in eight working hours daily," Nath emphasised.