Cold and flu medicine in short supply due to high demand
Pharmacists across Ontario are concerned about a shortage of cold and flu medications that have led to a limited supply for shoppers.
Jen Belcher, the vice president of the Ontario Pharmacists Association told CTV News London that there has been an increase in consumer demand since last fall due to COVID-19.
“The relaxation of personal and public health precautions has led to an increase in some of those viruses that were held at bay during those measures,” she said.
The shortage has worsened due to allergy season, the ongoing presence of COVID-19, and due to supply chain interruptions.
“It’s resulted in challenges in the supply of the product, but also we’ve seen a much higher demand due to the symptoms of COVID-19,” she added.
While over the summer months, there is typically less spread of cold and flu viruses, pharmacists across London, Ont. are seeing fewer children’s cold and flu medications coming in.
“We try our best to find alternatives so we don’t leave people empty-handed,” said Omnia Masoud, who owns a pharmacy on Wonderland Road. “There is a higher demand since COVID has changed from lower respiratory to upper respiratory infection. Symptoms are very similar to a cold.”
Masoud said her pharmacy is placing orders daily and putting themselves on back-order lists for several medications.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.