Cold and flu medication in short supply at some Ontario pharmacies

Pharmacists are reporting an increased demand for cold and flu medications as Ontario makes its way through a sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That's making some medications harder to find, saidJen Belcher, a pharmacist at Loyalist Pharmacy in Amherstview, Ont.

"We're having a hard time replenishing our shelves," she said.

Compoundthat with cold, flu and allergy season, and it's a perfect storm for the bare or near empty shelves, said Belcher,who also represents the Ontario Pharmacists Association.

More illnesses overwhelm demand for cold meds

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Jen Belcher from the Ontario Pharmacists Association says they are seeing more people seeking treatment for several different upper respiratory tract infections.

Since the lifting of the mask mandates on March 21, she said pharmacies in the province are seeing a spike of people "looking to treat symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, whether it's due to COVID-19, influenza or the common cold."

Anumber of medications are on backorder, Belchersaid, and though some are expected to be back in stock in the next few weeks,those dates are tentative and could change.

Belcher said the masking requirement was put in placeto prevent the spread of COVID-19, butalso limited the spread of the cold and flu.

Use 'extreme caution' with kids

Medications for children, and remedies to treat stuffy nose, cough and sore throat, are most sought after, said Belcher.

But she warns parents to avoid giving children medications meant for adults if their usual remedies are unavailable.

If anybody has any symptoms, they should assume that it's COVID. Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth

"Children are not just small adults," said Belcher.

"Parents should exercise extreme caution and make sure that they're checking in with their provider before they do anything to treat any of those symptoms with something that they're not used to using."

Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, an Ottawa doctor, echoed Belcher's concerns of giving cold medications to children.

"Those are medications that are sedating. They are not safe for children. They can decrease respiration rates for children," she said.

"That means that it can make it harder for a child to breathe."

Kaplan-Myrthsaid the low supply of over-the-counter medicationsis proof of the widespread disease in thecommunity.

"But it's also a sign of people not knowing that children should not be using cold medications," said Kaplan-Myrth.

Assume it's COVID

The Ottawa doctorrecommends medications, such as Tyenol and Advil, to help alleviate COVID symptoms.

"If anybody has any symptoms, they should assume that it's COVID, not some other thing, not some other cold and stay home," she said.

Ontario's top doctor said Monday the province would not be reinstating mandatory masking, but if a new variant of concernemerges the mandate could return.

The province also announced it will be expanding access to COVID-19 antiviral treatments for high-risk people.

Paxlovid, an antiviral drug for treatment of COVID-19 made by Pfizer, is for adults who have mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 in the early days of infection and who have a high risk of deteriorating into severe illness and requiring hospitalization. The medication is in pill form, taken twice a day for five days.