It’s another impact COVID-19 has that most Americans would never think of. Yet, the effects on this small population may have lasting implications. It’s the shortage of hearing devices.

Monica Robertson and her husband, Nate, are parents of three. Their youngest, 18-month-old Ellis, suffers from mild hearing loss. Fortunately, his hearing will not worsen over time. However, with the pandemic, they have faced challenges.

“For a while, we did have some devices that could not be ordered because there was a manufacture issue,” Robertson said.

While Ellis’ actual hearing aids were available, it was the required accessories that they couldn’t get their hands on. The microphones, the speakers, and even the chargers were few and far between. They also had delays with the ear molds.

Infants and toddlers can require a new mold as often as every few months. A delay means there’s a good chance the “new” mold won’t fit anymore.

Like so many other organizations, St Joseph Institute for the Deaf tried to soften the burden on parents as best they could by offering loaner hearing aids until ones that fit were available.

In some parts of the country, parents of children with hearing impairments faced a different struggle: interruptions to their child’s services.

Tina Studts is an associate professor at the University of Colorado. She recently released a study on the effects of COVID on families with hearing-impaired children in the state of Kentucky.

Studts says the glitches of an unstable internet connection meant therapy was difficult to follow and very frustrating. This ultimately meant many children and parents dropped out.

“As a as a whole, I feel like these, these families have been left behind, for the last couple of years and are rarely at the forefront of school administrators minds,” Studts said.

She says time will tell over the next couple of years just how COVID affected the development of these children.

Yet, despite the challenges, parents like Robertson are ready for whatever is thrown at them.

“My hope for him and something that we pray with him almost every night is that he will be confident in who he is and not embarrassed. Not ashamed of his hearing loss, but proud of it,” she said.

Americans are no stranger to shortages. During WWII, coffee, butter, and canned milk were in short supply. In the 70s, it was gasoline. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, we all faced a shortage of toilet paper.

Now, as life is slowly getting back to normal, we still face a few post-pandemic-related shortages. As if COVID-19 wasn’t bad enough, computer hackings and deep freezes hampered a rebound in the supply chain.

This summer, consumers can expect to pay more for gas, chicken wings, sausages, and bacon.

Washington University Professor Panos Kouvelis is an expert at supply chain management. He says many of these shortages will be short-lived.

“Because, I think, we understand where the shortage is coming from, and I don't think that the reasons that caused it in the first place are going to persist,” Kouvelis explained.

The short-term shortages are also a result of the Texas deep freeze and recent cyberattacks. None of these shortages are expected to last through the summer.

There’s a chicken wing and sausage shortage, but that’s due to increased demand. Kouvelis says there are only four or five companies that drive the whole industry, and there's not a lot of capacity.

Consumers can also expect to pay dearly for that summer vacation this year. Rental cars are still incredibly hard to come by, with some customers are paying hundreds of dollars a day.

“The car manufacturers, definitely, if they start producing cars, they're not going to make the cars for rental companies because that's not the high margins for them,” Kouvelis explained.

That shortage is predicted to last past the summer, potentially a year, thanks to a chip shortage.

Kouvelis adds chip manufacturers had plenty of inventory back in March of 2020. However, cars weren’t selling, so automakers lowered their chip orders.

“The computers and the consumer electronics were selling very well during the pandemic, so they absorbed most of the capacity of the chip manufacturers. When the car companies went back and tried to increase their orders when they started seeing the demand coming back by last summer.”

Kouvelis says by then, the chip companies had already distributed beyond capacity.

Are you looking for new appliances or furniture? How does six months sound? Experts say it has nothing to do with making the appliances. It has everything to do with shipping those appliances from China.

And you might not want to even consider remodeling right now. Lumber mills are dealing with labor issues and capacity constraints. In 2019, an 8-ft 2X4 would run you about $3. Now, you’ll pay $8.25.

So, how about goods like toilet paper, dog food, and diapers? They all have made recent shortage lists.

Kouvelis blames social media for those. He says freaking out doesn’t make it any easier and asks that everyone stop hoarding goods.

Kouvelis expects supply will be back to normal by 2022. However, he warns about any small disruption or virus surge could impact supply. His advice? Prepare yourself for what could be coming down the shortage supply train tracks. Right now, we’re on course, but it doesn’t take much for a derailment.