A medical worker sprays disinfectant to her partner after collecting swab samples for COVID-19 test in Surabaya, Indonesia, July 20, 2020. (Photo by Kurniawan/Xinhua)

Chinese disinfectant producers have seen overseas orders from the US soar by about 50 percent in the past month as the country, under the Trump administration, has experienced a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic as winter dawns.

China's disinfectant products are mainly exported to the US, which took 18.3 percent of total exports, public figures show, with some going to Europe. Industry sources and analysts expect this year's disinfectant exports to rise significantly from last year, as the incoming Biden administration will focus on preventative measures to contain the virus.

Xunhetang Biotechnology Co., a disinfectant maker based in East China's Anhui Province, told the Global Times on Monday that US orders soared 50 percent in the past month.

"Our monthly production capacity can hit several million bottles, with the US being one of our major markets," Xu Peng, the person in charge of the company, said.

As orders soar, producers like Xunhetang are investing in new capacity. "Normal production can be scheduled until next month," said Xu, but if more orders come in, the company will try to dial up capacity.

Disinfection products exported to the US require NDC or FDA markings, and as orders skyrocket, more suppliers are applying for the certifications.

A manager surnamed Chen at a company that provides certification services based in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, said that there's been a steady stream of applications every month since the start of the outbreak. 

"Before the pandemic, there were about 100 applicants per month, but now around 300-400 exporters and producers apply for FDA or CE certifications every month," said Chen. With President-elect Joe Biden set to take office in January, it is believed that the US will intensify its efforts to rein in the epidemic, and sales of Chinese disinfection products will continue to rise.

Jin En, vice president of Shanghai Yishu Biological Technology Co, is optimistic about the export outlook because there is huge overseas demand, especially from the US, Australia and Europe.

"In some countries like Germany, orders for disinfectant manufacturing machines can't be filled until next year, which leaves a huge opportunity for domestic disinfectant makers to export their products," Jin said.

But hurdles persist in the transportation and certificate verification of domestic disinfectants, an industry insider told the Global Times.

"Active ingredients in some disinfectants may not last long if they are shipped by sea, but air cargo is expensive," Jin said, and container shortages and rising costs for sea transportation are also posing problems.

Jin said that he is looking at neighboring markets in Southeast Asia and Pakistan to export technology and machinery for disinfectant products.

"If demand scales up, we might build factories locally," Jin said.

Exports of other products for disease prevention and control are also increasing.

"Sales of protective products have grown steadily because they have become daily necessities, which aren't affected by seasonal factors except for promotions," Jane Zhang, head of marketing at DHgate, said. Protective clothing, shields, masks and hand sanitizers are still the most popular products.

"The US is the largest market, and Canada, Italy and Mexico are also big markets. For Black Friday, the largest growth category was protective clothing, which increased six times from the previous week," Zhang told the Global Times on Monday.

The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide surpassed 62.74 million on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

Since the outbreak began in 2020, demand for disinfectants has soared, bringing great benefits to the industry in severely affected countries like the US, Chen Hongyan, secretary-general of the Medical Appliances Branch of the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association, told the Global Times on Monday.

Chen noted that public awareness of preventative measures has changed, and disinfectants will remain as essential items in the post-pandemic era.