COVID outbreaks have halted production at some of Nike’s plants in Vietnam. Nearly half of Nike’s shoes were produced in Vietnam last year so it’s unclear if there will be sneaker shortages as a result. Since last April, Vietnam has seen a large number of COVID cases due to infection clusters. “The health and safety of our teammates, as well as that of our suppliers, remains our top priority,” Nike said in a statement, adding that they will remain prudent in planning any reopenings. Apple, Samsung, and Puma could also be affected as they have factories in some of the worse affected regions. Many companies manufacture products in Vietnam due to tariff changes as a result of the pandemic. Only 4 percent of Vietnam’s 100 million residents have been vaccinated.
