Continuing disruption to factory production and bottlenecks in shipping are leaving nonprofit groups short of goods for vulnerable communities worldwide.
Tag Archives: Shortages
Booster Shots for Covid Leave Africa Hanging in Wind
Just 20 percent of people in low- and lower-middle-income countries have received a first Covid-19 vaccine dose — compared to 80 percent in high-and upper-middle income countries.
Our Generic Drug Supply Is Sick
Competition for market share at rock-bottom prices has led to shortages, price-spikes, allegations of price-fixing, and substandard and even dangerous practices.
They Shunned Covid Vaccines but Embraced Antibody Treatment
Championed by doctors and conservative radio hosts alike, monoclonal antibodies for Covid are in high demand — even from those who don’t want a vaccine.
Schools Are Seeing Shortages of Bus Drivers, Cafeteria Workers and Other Essential Roles
Just weeks into the new year, schools are struggling to fill jobs. Low pay, few benefits and erratic schedules are keeping workers away.
The U.K. Prepared for a Jobs Crisis, but Got the Unexpected
Instead of a surge in unemployment, businesses are struggling to fill positions, presenting a new risk to the pandemic recovery.
Skilled Workers Are Scarce, Posing a Challenge for Biden’s Infrastructure Plan
One estimate says the bill would add $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy over eight years, but without enough workers, efforts to strengthen roads and public transit could be set back.
Biden’s Infrastructure Plan: Scarcity of Skilled Workers Poses Challenge
One estimate says the bill would add $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy over eight years, but without enough workers, efforts to strengthen roads and public transit could be set back.
The Labor Shortage Is Empowering Workers to Demand Better Jobs
Workers have decided they’re not content to settle for demeaning, low-paid work. Can employers take the hint?
Lebanon’s Economy Has Collapsed. And So Has Our Way of Life.
The standards by which “normal” or “acceptable” living conditions are measured have long been discarded.
Shifting to Governing, Taliban Will Name Supreme Afghan Leader
Facing immense challenges in a devastated country, and a hard transition from war to administration, the Islamist movement is preparing to name a new, theocratic government.
The New U.S. Challenge in Afghanistan: Coping With Taliban Rule
Its longtime enemy now a fact of life, Washington must choose when to shun or tolerate the group, with all the wrenching trade-offs each policy choice brings.
How Will The US Cope With Taliban Rule?
Its longtime enemy now a fact of life, Washington must choose when to shun or tolerate the group, with all the wrenching trade-offs each policy choice brings.
The World Is Still Short of Everything. Get Used to It.
Pandemic-related product shortages — from computer chips to construction materials — were supposed to be resolved by now. Instead, the world has gained a lesson in the ripple effects of disruption.
When the New Covid Surge Struck, Mississippi Was Uniquely Unprepared
Poverty and politics have left the state with fewer doctors and nurses than it needs and hospitals on the brink of shutdown.
Chicken, Milkshakes, Candy: Scarce in Britain’s Truck Driver Shortage
Because of Brexit and other reasons, Britain doesn’t have enough truck drivers, and that’s causing all sorts of items to go vanish from stores and restaurants.
Under Taliban Rule, Life in Kabul Transforms Once Again
Though the streets are quiet, Kabul residents describe a struggle to make ends meet in a reeling economy where banks and government offices are closed, and uncertainty reigns.
‘Nursing Is in Crisis’: Staff Shortages Put Patients at Risk
“When hospitals are understaffed, people die,” one expert warned as the U.S. health systems reach a breaking point in the face of the Delta variant.
Nando’s, a Restaurant Chain, Struggles with Chicken Shortage
The restaurant has beguiled British palates for almost three decades. But a recent chicken shortage saw almost 50 stores temporarily close this last week.
Overwhelmed by Coronavirus, Cuba’s Vaunted Health System Is Reeling
“The funeral homes can’t cope, the hospitals can’t cope, the clinics can’t cope,” said a Cuban doctor who was fired for publicly lamenting the distressed state of medical care.
In a First, U.S. Declares Water Shortage on Colorado River
Arizona farmers will take the initial brunt, but wider reductions loom as climate change continues to affect flows into the river.
Restaurants Will Never Be the Same. They Shouldn’t Be.
Going out to eat should be more expensive, and probably less frequent.
Low semiconductor supplies may not be the main reason for PS5 shortages
Enlarge (credit: Sony / Youtube)
In an earnings call last night, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki said that despite worldwide semiconductor shortages, the company has “secured a number of chips that’s necessary to achieve” the company’s current production target of at least 14.8 million PlayStation 5 consoles in the current fiscal year (which ends in March 2022). “Regarding the supply of the semiconductors, we’re not concerned,” he said during a Q&A portion of the event.
That statement implies that Sony plans to make and ship at least 12.5 million PS5 units on top of the 10.1 million it shipped through the end of June (10 million of which had sold through to consumers by July 18). That production rate would only be about 4 percent faster than the roughly 44,000 units per day Sony shipped on average in the system’s first 7.5 months on the market. That’s despite a February statement from Sony Interactive Entertainment President Jim Ryan suggesting that supply chain improvements would mean “by the time we get to the second half of [2021], you’re going to be seeing really decent [PS5 production] numbers indeed.”
Are shortages here to stay?
The modest increase in PS5 production in the coming months likely won’t be enough to put a dent in widespread PS5 shortages, which are causing units of the system to sell out almost immediately when they hit retail shelves. But Totoki’s new statement suggests those shortages are driven more by intense demand than by Sony’s inability to secure the chips it feels it needs in the near term (and while scalpers certainly aren’t helping that situation, healthy demand from consumers seems to be driving the market in total).
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Will the Delta Variant Wreck the Recovery?
Probably not. But there are potential challenges with both supply and demand that put the economy at risk.
Summer Camps Reopen But Struggle to Find Counselors
Summer camps have reopened into a tight labor market without the international seasonal workers they often depend on.
‘Pingdemic’ Leaves Shelves Empty as U.K. Tries to Return to Normal
Pandemic meets “pingdemic”: Coronavirus infections rise sharply and an official app tells legions of people to stay home after exposure, even as most restrictions are lifted.
How New York Waiters Got the Upper Hand
Chronically underpaid and undervalued, restaurant workers are now in high demand, and the power balance may be shifting for good.
How Indonesia Became the Coronavirus Pandemic’s New Epicenter
The suffering that ravaged places like India and Brazil — with deaths soaring, hospitals overwhelmed and oxygen running out — has reached Southeast Asia.
Restaurant Shuts Down for a Day After Customers Made Staff Cry
The owners of Apt Cape Cod, a farm-to-table restaurant in Brewster, Mass., drew a line in the sand against customers’ rude behavior since being allowed to fully reopen.
Cubans Denounce ‘Misery’ in Biggest Protests in Decades
The rallies, widely viewed as astonishing for a country that limits dissent, were set off by economic crises worsened by the pandemic.
The Trumpian Roots of the Chip Crisis
We’re still paying the price of tantrum-based policy.
Tesla Sales More than Double in the Second Quarter
Tesla said sales doubled in the second quarter, but Ford reported a more modest increase as the industry grapples with a semiconductor shortage.
OPEC and Allies Hold the Cards as Prices and Demand Rise
In the short run, trends in the oil market may be favoring large producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia.
How India’s Covid-Hit Hospitals Ran Out of Oxygen
A cascading series of failures, from the central government on down, left hospitals across India without medical oxygen, killing hundreds. One tragic night in Delhi shows how it happened.
There’s a ‘Severe Blood Shortage’ in the U.S., Red Cross Says
The American Red Cross said rising trauma cases, transplants and surgeries had led hospitals to ask for more blood than expected.
After Coronavirus Pandemic and Brexit, UK Begins to See Worker Gaps
As the country’s economy restarts after months of closures, staffing shortages have emerged in some industries. The impact of leaving the European Union could be part of the problem.
Taiwan Accuses China of Blocking Access to BioNTech Vaccines
The two sides have traded accusations about whether political motivations are keeping the Taiwanese people from receiving immunizations amid the island’s first major Covid-19 outbreak.
North Korea Is Facing a ‘Tense’ Food Shortage
Kim Jong-un said addressing food insecurity was “a top priority” in the country, where millions died in a famine during the ’90s.
Here’s Why Uber Prices Are Soaring and You Can’t Find a Cab
The number of drivers and for-hire cars on the streets plunged during the pandemic, frustrating those seeking rides as the city starts to recover.
Asia Struggles to Cast Off the Pandemic Despite its Early Lead
While the United States edges toward normalcy, countries like Japan, South Korea and Australia are still facing months of uncertainty and isolation as their vaccination campaigns just start to gain steam.
Why Asia, the Pandemic Champion, Remains Miles Away From the Finish Line
While the United States edges toward normalcy, countries like Japan, South Korea and Australia are still facing months of uncertainty and isolation as their vaccination campaigns just start to gain steam.
What the Rich Don’t Want to Admit About the Poor
Why do we leave millions of people in poverty? The answer should make us uncomfortable.
Starbucks, Flush With Customers, Is Running Low on Ingredients
At locations across the country, there have been complaints about shortages of key ingredients for popular drinks, breakfast foods and even cups, lids and straws.
Biden to Send Millions of Pfizer Vaccine Doses to 100 Countries
The White House’s move is part of a nascent campaign to inoculate the world, and came as President Biden faced intense pressure to do more.
Biden to Send 500 Million Doses of Pfizer Vaccine to 100 Countries Over a Year
The White House’s move is part of a nascent campaign to inoculate the world, and came as President Biden faced intense pressure to do more.
Senate Passes Bill to Bolster Competitiveness With China
The wide margin of support reflected a sense of urgency among lawmakers in both parties about shoring up the technological and industrial capacity of the United States to counter Beijing.
Biden Administration Moves to Unkink Supply Chain Bottlenecks
A swath of recommendations calls for more investments, new supply chains and less reliance on other countries for crucial goods.
Republicans, Don’t Ignore the Evidence on ‘Labor Shortages’
The latest jobs report shows just how misguided their plans to cut unemployment benefits are.
Workers Are Gaining Leverage Over Employers Right Before Our Eyes
“Employers are becoming much more cognizant that yes, it’s about money, but also about quality of life.”
How a Nursing Shortage Affects Families With Disabled Children
A nursing shortage — driven by the pandemic — has made life miserable for parents with profoundly disabled children. “What if I’m so exhausted that I make a mistake?”