The world is heading for a shortage of rubber gloves, compounded by measures to contain the deadly coronavirus in a country that dominates production: Malaysia.

The country’s glove-making trade association — whose members make 3 out of every 5 pairs of rubber gloves worldwide — is warning of a global “chronic shortage” of the critical medical gear after factories were forced to cut staffing during an expansive lockdown. Top Glove Corp. Bhd, the world’s largest producer, said demand from the US, Europe and other nations outstrips capacity and orders are being fulfilled as much as four months late.

Malaysia has restricted movement across the country and ordered many businesses to shut while requiring others to keep as many workers home as possible to curb the spread of the pathogen. Most glovemakers have received an exemption to staff their factories at just 50 per cent, with some of the companies planning to meet with a top trade ministry official on Thursday to seek approval to operate with a full workforce, according to the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association.

Governments across the world are desperately trying to acquire and stockpile critical medical supplies such as masks, ventilators and gowns as frontline doctors and nurses face shortages. That’s forcing many of the biggest makers to run factories around the clock to meet demand. Malaysia’s glovemakers, however, are having to curb output as the country fights a second wave of coronavirus infections.

One glove manufacturer is seeing orders for as many as 2.6 billion gloves every week – double its capacity (Getty) (Getty Images)

“Today’s demand is abnormal. Hospitals are running out of gloves,” said Denis Low, president of the glovemakers’ association, said on Thursday. “We are not able to supply the quantity that we want. It’s not our choice.”

Low said association members will meet Azmin Ali, the senior minister for trade and industry, to request the additional exemption. Malaysia’s industry supplies about 67 per cent of the global demand for as much as 345 billion units annually, he said. It is also being asked to meet local need first, before the rest of the world.

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Even at full capacity, Malaysia’s producers won’t be able to meet the current global needs. Top Glove is seeing orders for as many as 2.6 billion gloves weekly - double its full capacity. The company, which supplies a little more than a quarter of the world’s gloves, recently received an exemption to fully staff its production lines.,

“We are running 24 hours, two shifts on the production floor,” said Lim Wee Chai, Top Glove’s executive chairman. “There’s a definite shortage already.”