According to Reuters, three of Karex Bhd’s factories have been shut down and have not produced a single condom for more than a week due to lockdown measures imposed by the Malaysian government to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. One out of every five condoms globally is made by Karex Bhd.
That means that there’s already a shortage of 100 million condoms that are usually marketed internationally by brands like Durex or distributed to state health care systems and nonprofits. The company has been given permission to start production again on Friday, but with only half of its workforce, Reuters reported.
"It will take time to jumpstart factories and we will struggle to keep up with demand at half capacity," Karex Bhd Chief Executive Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters.
"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 deep down in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months,” he added.
Malaysia is the Southeast Asian country most affected by the virus. The latest data by Johns Hopkins University reveals that there are more than 2,000 cases of the virus in the country, and at least 26 people have died as a result. The lockdown measures in the country will remain in effect until at least April 14.
"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 added. "Given that at this point in time people are probably not planning to have children. It's not the time, with so much uncertainty."
China also manufactures large numbers of condoms. Although China is lifting some of its lockdown measures this week, production lags could still occur, Chris Purdy, the CEO of family-planning production company DKT International, told the Business Insider.
"During the recent outbreak, many Chinese factories were shuttered and factory workers asked to stay home or work at reduced hours," Purdy told the Insider. "Many of these contraceptive suppliers are not back to full capacity. As a result, we now expect delays in production and shipping schedules."