We can assure you this is a temporary situation in the US, and the Tampax team is producing tampons 24/7 to meet the increased demand for our products," they said in a statement. A spokesperson for Edgewell, maker of Playtex and o.b. tampons and Carefree and Stayfree liners and pads, acknowledged inventory issues due to "extensive workforce shortages" caused by two COVID-19 outbreaks at a US plant in late 2021 and a Canadian supplier early this year. The company said they "anticipate returning to normal levels in the coming weeks." Kimberly-Clark, which makes a variety of consumer products including Kotex tampons, told AFP it has not experienced inventory shortages. Walgreens meanwhile said it was working with suppliers to "ensure we have supply available" in all its stores. And CVS said that "if a local store is temporarily out of specific products, we work to replenish those items as quickly as possible." The situation has been going on for months, but has received increasing media attention in recent days.