‘Tripledemic’ keeping pharmacies busy, children’s medicine in short supply.
“This is really a hard time for children. We’ve had to turn away so many customers because our shelves have been completely empty of children’s pain and fever medicine,” said Mary Beth Koch, a certified pharmacy technician at Prescott Valley Safeway. “Even with regular medicine, people are having to wait on supplies, sometimes for a month at a time.”
Pharmacist Dr. Sheri Wadhams, co-owner of Wadhams Apothecary in Flagstaff with Manager Jane Blair, dispensed the last of her children’s Motrin on Friday, Dec. 23, and is currently unable to order any more, as wholesale distributors nationwide say it is not available. “We can’t get certain antibiotics, either. We are seeing a lot of sick people. Upper respiratory illnesses in children are going into pneumonia.”
Making their busy job busier, pharmacists are working with physicians to find substitutions for prescriptions and also with parents in search of relief for their children. “As soon as we get an amoxicillin suspension that we didn’t have for a week, we call that mom or dad,” said Koch.
The latest viral assault is being called a “tripledemic.” The Omicron variant, along with common seasonal viruses that seemed to have gone into hibernation during much of the pandemic, have hit hard with the holiday travel season, especially influenza and RSV. Although some believe RSV has reached its peak, medical experts say the nation is experiencing its worst flu outbreak in a decade, and they expect it to get worse.
To battle the viral pileup, pharmacists continue to recommend the COVID booster and seasonal flu shot. Prescott Valley Safeway reports a higher-than-usual demand for vaccinations this season, including shingles shots. In fact, one pharmacy staff member has been assigned to just giving shots. “I think people are saying, ‘Anything I can get do that might help me not get COVID or be a stronger, healthier person, I want to do,’” said Koch.
Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is making national stockpiles of the antiviral drug Tamiflu available to states in need. “The country is more prepared for this surge because the SNS [Strategic National Stockpile] holds strategic stores of Tamiflu. As a result, jurisdictions will be able to get the support they need to keep Americans healthy as flu cases rise this winter,” stated Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell in a news release.
Meanwhile, healthcare professionals continue to urge healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, eating right, taking vitamin C and drinking plenty of fluids. QCBN
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
