JAKARTA – The danger posed by the COVID-19 pandemic does not only come from the corona virus. But also from the medical waste it generates around the world.
In a press statement, Tuesday, February 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that tens of tons of medical waste consisting of used syringes, test kits, and vaccine bottles during the COVID-19 pandemic threatens human health and the environment.
Used goods, some of which can transmit the corona virus, also have the potential to cause burns, needle stick wounds, and germs to health workers, according to a WHO report quoted by Antara.
The WHO also warns that communities close to poorly managed landfills can also be affected through contaminated air from burning waste, poor water quality or disease-carrying pests.
The report calls for reforms and investment including through reducing the use of packaging that causes piles of plastic and recyclable materials.
It is estimated that around 87,000 tonnes of personal protective equipment (PPE), or the equivalent of several hundred blue whales, have been ordered through the United Nations (UN) portal by November 2021. Most of the PPE is expected to end up as waste.
The report also said about 140 million test kits could potentially generate 2,600 tonnes of mostly plastic and chemical waste, enough to fill a third of an Olympic swimming pool.
In addition, it is estimated that the approximately 8 billion doses of vaccine distributed globally have generated an additional 144,000 tonnes of waste in the form of glass vials, syringes, needles and safety boxes.
The WHO report did not cite specific examples where the most horrific waste buildup occurred, but did point to challenges such as limited official sewage treatment and disposal in rural India as well as large amounts of sewage sludge from quarantine facilities in Madagascar.
Even before the pandemic, about a third of health facilities were not equipped to handle the existing waste load, the WHO said.
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