Local stores hit with shortage of cold and flu medicine

The regular flu season and the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant is being blamed for a shortage of cold and flu medicine at local stores. Experts say ongoing supply chain issues have also played a role in the shortage of medicine and other goods.

PHILADELPHIA - The next time you get bit by the winter cold bug and run to the grocery store or pharmacy for a quick remedy, don't be surprised if the shelves are a little barren.

Experts say ongoing supply chain problems that have stymied shipments in other departments have combined with the seasonal flu season and the spike in Omicron to create a shortage in cold and flu medicine.

"They don’t have a lot of selection of cold medicine and it seems to be in short supply," one shopper told FOX 29's Marcus Espinoza. "If I get sick it concerns me yes. Especially if you get COVID you want to make sure you have something you can take."

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James Crean, a supply chain expert and the President of Crean Inc., believes the issue won't be resolved quickly. According to Crean, several factors are compounding the problem, including lack of workers and shipment delays slowed by COVID and severe winter weather.

"There are going to be probably ongoing outages for quite a while in very specific different spots here and there throughout the supply chain," Crean said. "I was just at CVS the other day and I couldn’t find the allergy medicine I was looking for."

To avoid being caught defenseless against the winter sicknesses, experts say to check out online grocery markets that offer a wider variety. As a courtesy, it's also advised to buy only what you need so others have an opportunity to buy medicine.