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New COVID-19 restrictions for international travel and other activities are fueling consumer demand for highly accurate polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests with rapid turnaround times. Some clinics can deliver a PCR test result within hours, which these days can be as essential as a plane ticket for air travel. The downside? It will likely cost you hundreds of dollars.

“Consumers have to be more agile, and adaptive in their holiday purchases, and should have started shopping early. Turkeys, for example in some parts of the country and regions may not be available at the weight desired. Bacon supplies have increase in price, and steel for cans is also hard to come by. So canned products from pumpkin to cranberries, plus baking, pie and turkey pans are not as available. Families this year are expecting to gather in greater numbers than the year before. And there’s clearly excitement surrounding that, so adaptability, solid planning, and early shopping will all be key.”

Because of shipping backlogs caused by the supply-chain crisis, some hospitals are reporting shortages of lifesaving specialized medical devices, including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, and breathing tubes. "This is already 2021, but shipping companies cannot give an accurate hour-by-hour estimation about when goods will arrive or where they are," said Tinglong Dai, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who specializes in health care operations. And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

UPS Principal Scientist Ranganath Nuggehalli discussed holiday supply chain challenges in a new interview released by INFORMS. He also discusses what the shipping carrier is doing to anticipate and respond to the challenges.