dollars. more affordable devices could soon be available and over the counter. here s cbs news chief medical correspondent dr. jon lapook. same thing on this ear, okay? reporter: the proposed f.d.a. rule could be a financial relief for the nearly 30 million americans with hearing difficulties. i just felt it was mandatory. i mean, it s you get glasses because you can t see. you need to get something to help you to hear. reporter: the proposed f.d.a. rules would establish official technical guidelines for these devices and allow hearing aids to be sold directly to consumers over the counter and online without a medical examination or fitting by an audiologist. dr. jay youngerman is an ear, nose, and throat specialist at northwell health. how could this help? once it becomes an introduction where they can least trial the basic hearing aid and see how they do with it without spending thousands of dollars, for a majority of people it may work very well. reporter: the goal is t
we have to learn to live with it. i totally appreciate that. but equally, i m not too sure we re at the stage where - the government canjust make it an individual choice, there has to be some parameters and there has to be some - accountability there in terms i of where does the government stop and the individual begin, so to speak. i face masks were made compulsory a year ago injuly. they ve had a disproportionate impact on some, like those with hearing difficulties. a mask makes lipreading impossible. the isolation, as we ve seen mental health wise across the population has been tough. but for a community that are isolated in a way anyway, it s been incredibly tough with the masks and the not being able to hear. but from a pure lip reading point of view, yes, being able to lip read will be a definite advantage. others are really worried about masks becoming voluntary. for hundreds of thousands of people with a suppressed immune system,
like those with hearing difficulties. a mask makes lipreading impossible. the isolation, as we ve seen mental health wise across the population has been tough. but for a community there are isolated in a way anyway, but for a community that are isolated in a way anyway, it s been incredibly tough with the masks and the not being able to hear. but from a pure lip reading point of view, yes, being able to lip read will be a definite advantage. others are really worried about masks becoming voluntary. for hundreds of thousands of people with a suppressed immune system, the vaccine isn t totally effective, and the face covering is a last line of defence. i will continue to wear a mask because of the incidence that we are unsure of the efficacy of the vaccine. i am double vaccinated, but i did get covid in march when i d had one vaccine.
on the markets. very interesting there. yes. definitely something investors watch closely. why every time he speaks publicly about any of this you have people around the world reacting, watching closely trying to pause hi views on these subjects. another story we re watching, slightly upbeat is starbucks. bad press over the last few months, locking to get better p.r. well received, this story, by the deaf community. opening a store focused on those with hearing difficulties. hard-of-hearing people. looking to hire half a dozen people to work in north d.c. near a private college that focuses on catering to students with hearing difficulties. warmly received it is said by the deaf community in the u.s. that s the kind of story we like to hear. good news live from london. always good to have you with us. up next, jonathan swan of access has a look at one big thing and coming up on morning