Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Research Report - Global Forecast till 2030

Impact of Covid-19 Outbreak on Personal protective equipment (PPE) Market

Personal protective equipment (PPE) are protective gears that are designed to safeguard the workers by minimizing the exposure to a biological agent. PPE helps healthcare workers to fight against novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended several governments worldwide to increase the production of masks, gloves, respirators, and coveralls/gowns. It also recommended that PPE manufacturers must increase their production by 40% and prioritizing their orders to countries with a high demand-supply gap.   

Several countries, including India, have considered importing PPE kits to meet its requirements from China, Singapore, and South Korea. Although a tender was rolled out last week by the government's nodal procurement agency HLL Lifecare, the government has chosen not to wait for the bids to be released, rather than source it from other countries. As of the 3rd week of April, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic crossed two million cases globally. The increasing demand for hand protection, respiratory protection, and protective clothing in the healthcare industry to ensure people’s safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is expected to boost the demand for PPE.  Furthermore, the increasing government initiatives to facilitate the import of PPE is expected to drive the market growth. For instance, in March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated numerous steps to improve the US stocks of PPE. A few of its measures include adjustments in import screening, flexibility to manufacturers, and creation of special mailbox service, among other provisions.

As the COVID-19 disease has spread outside China, countries such as Italy, Iran, the US, and Spain are leading in the number of positive cases. Demand needs from low- and middle-income countries buying PPE through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are being informed by UNICEF's program guidance for the coronavirus and regarding the WHO interim guidance on the rational use of PPE for combating COVID-19.

The global shortages of PPE kits have led to the emergence of local PPE manufacturers. For instance, in India, the Union Textiles Ministry and the Health Ministry has said the government is augmenting the supplies of PPE, including body coveralls, N-95 masks, and 2-ply/3-ply surgical masks, that are required by healthcare professionals treating COVID-19 cases. Furthermore, more than 130 Australian companies have responded to an urgent call to dramatically boost the manufacturing of face masks, gowns, and gloves to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, 3M Co, an American multinational conglomerate corporation, has ramped up its production of N-95 respirators, doubling its normal output. The company is currently manufacturing 100 million N-95 respirators per month worldwide, with 35 million of these being produced in the US. Furthermore, 3M Chief Executive Officer Mike Roman has stated that the company aims to increase its US production of N-95 respirators even further and reach 50 million per month by June 2020. In addition to the demand for N-95 respirators far outstripping current manufacturing capabilities, the ongoing supply chain issues are also contributing to shortages. According to the WHO modelling, an estimated 89 million medical masks per month are required in COVID-19 response.

Amid an unprecedented global health crisis, the key, however, will be for manufacturers to focus on how they can contribute in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.