Relief is on the way.
According to Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser with Health Canada, more than one million bottles of children’s pain reliever medication—including kids’ Tylenol—will arrive in the country as early as next week.
“The combination of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), the flu, and COVID is hitting our country hard, and these medications can be very helpful in treating some of the symptoms caused by these viruses,” Sharma said during a press conference on Friday morning.
“Health Canada has been exploring all levers at its disposal to help alleviate the situation.”
Officials said manufacturers have ramped up production to record levels, but demand is still outpacing supply.
Sharma said the supply will be given to hospitals, community pharmacies and retailers and begin appearing on store shelves by early next week.
Since shortages began in Canada last spring, Health Canada says that it has been exploring all levers at its disposal to help alleviate the situation, including meeting with stakeholders like manufacturers, retailers, and healthcare professionals on a weekly basis to share information and strategies to minimize the impact of the shortage of medications.
