US apparel firms lobby US for more COVID-19 vaccines for Vietnam
VOV.VN - The American Apparel & Footwear Association has called on the Biden administration to send more COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam.
In a letter dated July 27, the association also urged the Vietnamese Government to speed up vaccinations for employees in the garment and footwear industries, according to Nikkei Asia.
“The Vietnamese government’s expressive expressions of support for workers in this industry, which is so important to our two countries, helped us make the case in the United States for quick relief,” said association CEO Steve Lamar in the letter.
“The success of our industry is globally significant, directly dependent on the health of, literally, your industry,” he added.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association represents many of the big names in the footwear and clothing manufacturing industries such as Gap, Adidas, Nike and other major fashion brands.
The resurgence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vietnam is threatening companies like Nike, which says it had 200 vendors in in the country that made 50% of its shoes globally in fiscal 2020, Nikkei reported.
Nikkei quoted Panjiva, a subsidiary of S&P Global, as saying Nike could see their footwear inventory running low due to the COVID disruption in Vietnam. Several major contractors, including Pou Chen, Changshin, Feng Tay Enterprises and Eclat Textile, stopped production this month.
Vietnam is the second largest supplier of clothing and footwear to the US, after China.
The US has so far donated more than 5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Vietnam. In an interview recently granted to a Washington-based VOV correspondent, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc said the US is considering supplying more vaccines to Vietnam in the time to come.
Vietnam has logged 119,863 new cases in 62 out of all 63 cities and provinces following the resurgence of the virus in late April, and 123,640 cases since the onset of the first outbreak in the country.
