Coronavirus pandemic may cause global shortage of condoms as lockdown shuts world's largest producer
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has the whole world in its grips right now, has had some unexpected consequences. According to reports, we’re looking at a possible global shortage of condoms.
Malaysia’s Karex Bhd, which makes one in every five condoms globally, has not produced a single condom in its three Malaysian factories for more than a week, reported The Guardian on March 27. The reason, of course, is the lockdown imposed by the government to halt the spread of the virus. The Week, however, reported on March 28 that the company has partially resumed production with just half of its workforce back in the factories in order to comply with the governmental restrictions. It was given an exemption because it is an essential product.
“It will take time to jumpstart factories and we will struggle to keep up with demand at half capacity,” said chief executive Goh Miah Kiat. “We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary. My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programs… in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months.”
"The good thing is that the demand for condoms is still very strong because like it or not, it’s still an essential to have," Goh said. "Given that at this point in time, people are probably not planning to have children. It’s not the time, with so much uncertainty."
The other major condom-producing countries are China, India and Thailand, where infections are rising. A spokesman for Durex, however, said operations are continuing as normal and that the company is not experiencing any supply shortages. "For our consumers, many of whom will be unable to access shops, our Durex online stores remain open for business."
The Guardian reported that there is already a shortfall of 100 million condoms, normally marketed internationally by brands such as Durex, supplied to state healthcare systems such as Britain’s NHS or distributed by aid programs such as the UN Population Fund.
Malaysia, as per reports, had 150 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, March 29, which takes the total to 2,470, the highest in Southeast Asia. The number of deaths from the virus outbreak rose by seven to 34, as per the country’s health ministry. The seven deaths are reportedly the highest recorded in a single day for Malaysia.
Condoms, of course, are not the only product where the threat of a global shortage looms overhead. The World Health Organization, on Friday, warned of a dire lack of protective gear for health workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic, stating it to be one of the most pressing threats in the fight to prevent deaths.
"The chronic global shortage of personal protective equipment is now one of the most urgent threats to our collective ability to save lives," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in Geneva on Friday. "Health workers in low- and middle-income countries deserve the same protection as those in the wealthiest countries.”