The covid-19 pandemic is driving global demand for medical supplies, equipment and detergents. In terms of personal protective equipment alone, who estimates that 89 million medical masks, 76 million inspection gloves and 1.6 million goggles are needed worldwide each month. To meet this demand, the World Health Organization recommends that the industry need to increase production by 40%. The chemical industry is responding to this challenge in many ways. From producing more chemicals such as reagents and solvents, from raw materials to converting production lines to produce disinfectants or medical supplies, the chemical industry has shown its creativity to meet demand. But in response to the current crisis, it is worth considering the long-term impact of the pandemic on the industry.

Chemical industry is the key force to cope with covid-19

The medical, health care and pharmaceutical industries are major consumers of chemicals such as raw materials, refining reagents, solvents and finished products - demand has increased significantly due to the covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, governments all over the world have identified the chemical industry as a key infrastructure. This means that chemical industry workers maintain a normal work schedule related to all chemical supply chain activities, the manufacture, production and transportation of raw materials or finished chemical products.

Demand for chemical raw materials

The American Chemical Commission (ACC) has created infographics to explain which chemicals contribute to medical devices, supplies, and cleaning products. In terms of the value of input materials, chemicals contribute:

75% of cleaning compounds such as detergents, disinfectants and hand sanitizers

27% of medical equipment materials such as N95 mask, disposable protective clothing and diagnostic equipment

25% of medical supplies, such as goggles, gloves, tubes and surgical instruments.

In addition to producing intermediate chemicals such as solvents and reagents, many chemical companies also produce end products and finished products.

Disinfectants and detergents

Countries report supply chain shortages of active ingredients used in disinfectants. They include ethanol, propylene glycol (isopropanol), benzyl chloride, ethyl benzyl chloride and methyl chloride. Many regulators have responded by granting derogations or regulatory exemptions to allow the production of unauthorized active ingredients or products from unauthorized suppliers. The reaction of the chemical industry is to expand the production of active ingredients and end products. Other companies have joined in, such as alcoholic beverage producers who are now making hand sanitizers or supplying denatured alcohol to disinfectant producers.

Check out our blog about hand disinfectants to learn more about the changes in the management of biocides in Europe.

Personal protective equipment

Protective equipment is very important in isolation nursing. Isolation nursing is used to manage patients with coronavirus infection in order to reduce the spread of infection. Who (19 March 2020) provides guidance on optimizing PPE use, and many countries provide targeted public health guidance. PPE for patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia includes respirator / respirator (N95 or FFP2 standard), robe (or apron), gloves and eye protection (goggles or face mask).

Surgical clothing is usually made of synthetic fibers such as polypropylene or polyethylene. Single use gowns are usually made of non-woven fabrics made of wood pulp and polyester. Gloves are usually made of neoprene, polyisoprene or nitrile. Goggles like goggles can be made of polycarbonate, propionate, acetate, polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene terephthalate (PETG).

The level of personal protective equipment in many medical institutions around the world is very low, and many industries and chemical industries are responding to the demand.

Test cowid-19

Although the detection methods of covid-19 are slightly different in different countries, they usually test people in two aspects

Active infection: PCR was used to detect the presence of viral RNA based on swab samples collected from nose and mouth. This is often called antigen testing.

Infection history: by measuring the antibody produced by individuals in response to covid-19 infection. Antibodies were detected from blood samples by immunoassay.

Many companies are expanding PCR detection capabilities and developing antibody detection. For example, the laboratory is carrying out extensive detection of covid-19 antigen, while new detection methods are also being developed and validated.

With the increasing demand for testing worldwide, more and more attention has been paid to the usability of core testing items such as reagents, swabs, transport media and test bottles. These are made from chemicals, many of which are extracted from oil.