Coronavirus Waste Medicine pic pexeles
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that waste from medical products used to treat the corona virus is dangerous to the environment.
According to media reports, thousands of tons of extra medical waste have multiplied the pressure on both the health and sanitation system and the staff.
The WHO says “excess waste” is a threat to both human health and the environment, highlighting the urgent need for ways to improve waste management.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that while countries around the world are struggling to find protective equipment to deal with the corona virus crisis, little attention has been paid to sustainable ways to dispose of the resulting waste.
Michael Ryan, director of the WHO’s Emergency Situations, said: “As important as it is to provide health workers with the right PPE (personal protective equipment), it is also important to make sure that these items do not affect the surrounding environment. Can also be used safely.
The first 8 billion corona vaccine doses delivered globally generated an additional 1.44 billion tons of waste, including syringes, needles and protective boxes.
The WHO does not recommend wearing gloves when injecting vaccines, but this is usually done.
Gloves outnumber all protective items purchased by the United Nations.
The report mentions 1.5 billion units or about 87,000 tons of PPE obtained between March 2020 and November 2021. It was sent to other countries through the UN system. However, this is only a fraction of the total global volume.
According to the latest data available from 2019, one out of every three medical centers around the world has not disposed of its waste properly. In the 46 least developed countries, two out of three medical centers do not have basic waste disposal facilities.
The report outlines some practical steps to address these issues, including making PPE from biodegradable materials instead of plastic packaging, creating an efficient system for medical waste, and local PP. This includes investing in e-products.