Just days away from holiday celebrations, the rapid spread of RSV, flu, and Covid-19 cases is overwhelming hospitals nationwide and across North Texas.
DALLAS — As she walked through a medicine aisle at Dougherty’s Pharmacy in Dallas, Angela Crispin, a Pharmacy Technician, pointed out empty shelves.
Popular brands of over-the-counter pediatric cold and flu medicine were out of stock at the pharmacy.
“This is the worst we’ve seen it,” Crispin, an employee of 10 years said.
The locally-owned pharmacy has struggled to restock the pain-relieving medicines amid a surge in cold and flu illnesses.
“It is very tough,” Crispin said.
Crispin said liquid cold and flu medications are on backorder, and they can’t restock fast enough.
“We order every day, hoping that it comes in, but we haven’t had any luck yet.”
The phone rings all day long and families are growing desperate to find the medicine they need, Crispin said.
“I feel terrible, because I know they’re coming in and they’re sick or they’re in pain and I want them to get what they need,” Crispin said.
In a press release, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents drug-makers, acknowledged the high demand for cold and flu medicine. CHPA said its manufacturers are running factories 24/7 in an effort to avoid widespread shortages.
Just days away from holiday celebrations, the rapid spread of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), flu, and Covid-19 cases is overwhelming hospitals nationwide and across North Texas.
On Saturday, Dr. Mark Casanova, a member of the Texas Medical Association’s Covid-19 Task Force, told WFAA it’s a triple threat — and he fears the number of viral cases will only continue to grow.
“We’re already in a primed situation for Covid-19, that means we probably won’t see its peak into the beginning of the new year,” Casanova said.
The latest data released Wednesday from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows since the end of November, the number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Trauma Service Area E, which includes Dallas Fort Worth, has nearly doubled from nearly 470 cases to more than 650.
ICU beds in the DFW region are 93% full, but only 5% of ICU beds in the region are being used for COVID-19, according to Texas DSHS.
Just a few days ago, one of those ICU beds was used by Melissa Fowlkes’ 26-year-old daughter, Ashley. Fowlkes, a resident of Dallas, is battling COVID-19 at home after contracting the virus from her daughter. They canceled their travel plans for Christmas.
“It’s the perfect storm,” Fowlkes said.
Her daughter is diabetic, which puts her at a higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 symptoms.
Fowlkes shared their experience in hopes that it’ll remind the community that COVID-19 can still be dangerous for those with autoimmune diseases.
“This is deadly for her… so be very aware of this,” Fowlkes said.