COVID Continues to Drive Glove Demand and Pricing

Last March, who would’ve thought that the widespread effects of the COVID-19 virus would still be prominent nearly a year later? Well, it is still affecting our day to day lives as well as the glove industry.
 
Around the world, we are seeing increases in positive cases of COVID-19 leading many countries to put more lockdown protocols into place. This means that people (medical professionals and everyday citizens) are continuing to use masks and disposable gloves to keep themselves safe. Before COVID-19, disposable gloves were not routinely worn by the general public, but now they have become a normal, and in some cases, an essential part of life.
 
The shortage of PPE like disposable gloves, has cause healthcare workers to ration their supplies, which is quite a crisis. So, heading into the first quarter of 2021, many things are still the same as they were in 2020 when it comes to the glove industry: demand is extraordinarily high and suppliers simply cannot keep up. This leads to glove prices at the highest they’ve ever been.
 
Many experts are even predicting that these problems with supply and demand will last into the first quarter of 2022. It is just too difficult for suppliers and manufacturers to scale their production to the level needed to keep up with current demand.
 
Eventually, things will stabilize, but for ow we should get comfortable with higher prices for nitrile gloves especially. If nitrile has become too expensive, consider other glove options such as vinyl.