Rising COVID cases, along with flu, RSV have parents searching for cold medicines
BOSTON -- If it feels like just about everyone is getting sick, you're not alone. The so-called "triple-demic" of RSV, the flu, and COVID-19 is still proving to have a major impact on families throughout Massachusetts.
The CDC said the risk of COVID-19 in Suffolk County is up from medium to high risk. The number of positive cases in the city jumped more than 20 percent in a week. The state's positivity rate is more than 13 percent.
Boston health officials are urging all residents to take precautions.
On Friday, UMass Boston announced it will once again require masks indoors.
It's causing high demand for over-the-counter cold and flu medications and resulting in short supply.
"I couldn't find it. The shelves were completely empty," said Liz Murphy of Winchester. Her son, three-year-old Luke Murphy started to feel sick last week. But finding medicine proved to be a headache all in itself. "It felt like the beginning of COVID with limitations on toilet paper and I felt really stressed out," Murphy said.
Murphy ended up finding Children's Motrin at a local pharmacy and posted a picture on Facebook to inform other parents looking for the same. "Honestly it felt a little bit like I won the lottery which is kind of crazy and a little bit sad at the same time," she said.
WBZ's Brandon Truitt checked multiple pharmacies on Friday for children's medicine and found most shelves wiped clean. CVS and Walgreens are among the stores limiting purchases to two packs per visit.
Doctor Sabrina Assoumou is an infectious disease expert at Boston Medical Center and said data from the state suggests RSV and the flu have peaked but remain high. COVID-19 levels seem to keep increasing.
"We sort of expected this to happen," said Dr. Assoumou. "Think of this period as a temporary time when you may need to intensify in terms of which measures you use."
If you are a parent like Murphy and cannot find the right medicine, Dr. Allison Edwards suggested there might be a workaround.
Edwards works for Sesame; the telehealth company that provides access to medical services. She suggested that children's and adult medicine often uses the same ingredients but at different strengths. If you are confident with your math, she said you can substitute one for the other.
"Check the box," Edwards said. "Make sure it's the right ingredient, check the dose, whatever is in the milligrams, so that you are giving your child the right strength in milligrams, it is safe to use infant, child, and adult formulations for your children you just have to be super careful about that math."
