Children's medications are flying off the shelves as the number of cases of respiratory viruses rise

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) — Mecklenburg County health officials say RSV cases in children are declining while at the same time cases of COVID-19 and the flu is rising.

This is why parents find it difficult to find cold medicines for their children.

On Tuesday, CVS and Walgreens announced they were limitation of the amount of the medicines for children that parents can buy.

While this worries some parents, public health officials in Mecklenburg County say there are still ways to get the medicine kids need.

“We are aware of some outages. I’ve been in the store myself and seen it look a little bare,” said Dr. Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County’s director of public health. “And I know it can be frustrating when people need things that aren’t on the shelf. But there are a number of pharmacy locations in our community and I recognize that things may not be readily available next door where you’re used to going but I would encourage people to keep looking around and also call somewhere ahead of time to see whether they have what you need.”

Washington also said parents should check with their child’s pediatrician to see if there are other alternatives they can purchase.

He added that parents may have better luck finding a generic drug, rather than the usual brand names.

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