reply India's outbreak will exacerbate global supply shortages

India's COVID-19 pandemic is not only dragging down the country's economic recovery, but also affecting supply chains in many industries around the world."Sea"According to the United Nations World Conference on Trade and Development, about 80 percent of the world's traded cargo is transported by sea. Guy Pratten, secretary-general of the International Conference of Shipping, said that of the world's estimated 1.7 million sailors, more than 200,000 are from India. Many of these Indian sailors are in positions that require important skills.Mr Platten was quoted by CNN as saying he was "hopeful" that the outbreak in India could be eased or it would lead to a shortage of sailors and "disrupt global supply chains".With some countries banning flights from India, Indian sailors will struggle to reach ports around the world. Nearly 200,000 sailors were stranded for months last year as the COVID-19 spread around the world, calling their ships "floating prisons"."Medicine"In addition to affecting shipping, the COVID-19 in India will be a drag on medical supplies. India makes more than 60% of the vaccines sold globally. The Serum Institute of India is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer.The Serum Institute of India last year agreed to produce up to 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for about 90 countries and territories. However, with only 2 per cent of India's population having completed COVID-19 vaccination, the Government of India and the Serum Institute are now prioritising providing the vaccine to their own citizens.India, meanwhile, is the world's largest supplier of generic drugs, according to CNN. Ninety percent of all prescriptions in the United States are generic."Textile"India is one of the largest exporters of textiles. The industry is now suffering from a severe labor shortage.In Delhi and Bangalore, the garment industry's Labour absenteeism rate is as high as 50%, according to Wazil Consulting. Last year consumption and exports fell by 30% and 24% respectively."The number for 2021 is difficult to predict now because we don't know for sure when the epidemic will end," Wasil said.【 Financial Services 】Over the past few decades, some of the world's largest banks and accounting firms have moved large numbers of information technology and operations jobs to India.Nearly 4.4 million people work in information technology and business process management in India, according to the National Association of Software and Services Companies.Some companies have taken steps to reduce the impact of the outbreak in India, such as moving work to other countries, encouraging employees to work from home or extending deadlines for various types of work. But if employees need to take care of a sick family member, it can be difficult to get work done even if they work from home. In addition, handling sensitive corporate and customer data at home presents security and data protection challenges.