Asia’s vaccine shortages threaten U.S. apparel imports – By Bob Herman (Axios) / Sept 30 2021
Fewer than 20% of people in most southeast Asian countries are fully vaccinated, which has led to COVID-19 outbreaks and forced apparel factories to shut down.
Why it matters: U.S. companies can’t change international vaccination rates on their own, and the problem illustrates another reason Americans have a self-interest in supporting the effort to vaccinate other countries. Besides preventing more virus mutations, better vaccination rates in southeast Asia would improve the flow of consumer goods like sneakers and apparel.
Driving the news: The Delta variant has battered many Asian countries that are major U.S. importers.
- India was hit hard earlier this year. Parts of Indonesia and Bangladesh have also suffered.
- The virus more recently has been especially damaging in Vietnam, where the government has imposed widespread factory shutdowns.
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