UK orders 65 million injection devices for COVID-19 vaccine

Medical technology company Becton Dickinson and Co said on Friday it received an order from the UK government for 65 million injection devices to support Britain’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

The order for 65 million needles and syringes is to be delivered by mid-September, the company said in a statement, adding that it was also working with Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) to expand access to diagnostic testing.

The company said in May it was preparing to ramp up manufacturing operations to handle demand for COVID-19 testing kits in the event of a second wave of infections in the fall.

Among the many tests that Becton Dickinson has recently launched is a kit that can give results in two to three hours, as well as an antibody test that can confirm current or past exposure to COVID-19 in as little as 15 minutes.

The United Kingdom’s death toll from confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus rose to 43,995 on Thursday from 43,906 the day before, government figures showed.

Including suspected cases, the toll is approaching 55,000, according to a Reuters tally of official data sources.