An LDS syringe can minimise the amount of drug left in the syringe after an injection, thereby reducing vaccine wastage and enabling 20 per cent more people to get the dose
Syringes have types, and there is something called a low dead space (LDS) syringe, which is supporting India’s Covid vaccination drive.
What is it?
According to the National Institute for Health Research, a low dead space syringe has less space between the needle and the plunger when it’s fully pushed in, compared to a traditional injecting equipment.
It has a detachable needle, and the ‘dead’ space in a syringe holds blood after it has been used. As such, previous research has found low dead space syringes could reduce the chance of spreading infections such as HIV and hepatitis C, if they are re-used or shared.
In the pandemic, it can become an efficient strategy, for an LDS syringe can minimise the amount of drug left in the syringe after an injection, thereby reducing vaccine wastage and enabling 20 per cent more people to get the dose with the same amount of vaccine.
According to a PTI report, in order to boost the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country, consumer electronics major Samsung said Wednesday that it is importing one million LDS syringes, which can help reduce vaccine wastage during injection.
The innovative syringe, being imported from South Korea as part of Samsung’s Covid Support programme for India, has already been introduced in a few markets, including the US, to optimise vaccination, the report states.
Additionally, South Korean ‘chaebol’ (conglomerate) has already delivered 3.25 lakh LDS syringes each to the district administrations in Lucknow and Noida in Uttar Pradesh. It will soon hand over 3.50 lakh LDS syringes to the Greater Chennai Corporation in Tamil Nadu.
“The technology behind LDS syringes has demonstrated up to 20 per cent greater efficiency. That means if existing syringes were to deliver one million doses, LDS syringes could deliver 1.2 million doses with the same amount of vaccine,” it said in a press release.
Partha Ghosh, vice president and head of CSR for Samsung India said in the release: “As our country focuses on vaccinating the population, we are supporting this effort with innovative LDS syringes that will help reduce vaccine wastage and vaccinate more people with the same amount of vaccine.”
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