Shortage of cold and flu medicine still plaguing Island pharmacies
Depleted shelves continue to be a problem at People’s Pharmacy in Colwood.
“Overall, cold and flu products are still on a massive shortage,” said the store's pharmacist Yoshi Ito.
A lack of cold and flu medicine – especially for kids – persists at pharmacies across Vancouver Island and across the province.
Darcie Looyen orders the supplies for the Fort Street location of Fort Royal Pharmacy. She says it's a daily grind.
“It's been horrible, to be honest,” said Looyen Wednesday.
“So I find that every single day I’m checking for Buckley’s, Tylenol, any generic alternatives.”
Health Minister Adrian Dix said Wednesday he's alive to the ongoing problem.
“It continues to be just a significant challenge – and it causes a lot of worry for people,” said Dix.
Alberta resorted this week to importing millions of doses of cold and flu drugs directly from a company in turkey, even planning to sell some to other provinces.
“I want Albertans to know that their government took the actions necessary to ensure a supply as along as worldwide shortages will last,” said Alberta Health Minster Jason Copping on Monday.
Dix said Wednesday B.C. isn’t interested in that approach, favouring a partnership with Ottawa instead.
“I wish them well with what they’re trying to do, but our plan is to work closely with the federal government to bring in – to continue to bring in – cold and flu medication,” Dix said.
With cold, flu and RSV seasons tapering off, most pharmacies say demand for medication has dropped modestly. Still, Ito says the shelves are bare enough at his store, he’d welcome innovative plans to stock them – including meds from turkey.
“There’s no other options, I think it’s a great idea for now,” he said.
Of course, just as flu season winds down, allergy season is about to take hold.
The good news is, so far, shelves across the region are robust with allergy medications.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.