As indicators of the evolution of the coronavirus shows a deterioration in the situation, supplies of medical gloves have become increasingly complicated in recent weeks. The situation is not as tense as for the masks last spring.
Some health professions are worried, while the indicators of the evolution of the coronavirus are on the rise: should we fear a shortage of gloves for medical use? If the situation is not comparable to that of the masks last spring, supplies have been complicated for several weeks, and governments are monitoring this very closely.
Soaring prices
In March, Malaysian Top Glove Corporation Bhd, the world's leading manufacturer of nitrile gloves, said it was facing a sharp spike in orders, mainly from Europe and the United States. Demand was then nearly double the company’s production capacity of 200 million natural and synthetic rubber gloves per day.
“Buyers want gloves so they raise prices”, summarizes the CEO of a PPE company. “On vinyl gloves, we come up with prices that are 4 to 5 times the regular purchase price. On nitrile gloves, we are two and a half times the price, ”he explains.
According to him, it will take months until the market price gets back to normal. It is currently impossible to predict when gloves will return to their regular market price knowing that the pandemics continues to progress and that medical acts are increasing.
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