Families are dealing with strained hospitals, drug shortages and the reality that this is only the beginning of the season.
For a Waterloo family whose five-year-old and six-year-old had fevers of more than 40 degrees Celsius, recovering on the couch with limited flu medication was one of the only options.
“Once you get to such high numbers, you start to feel a sense of panic,” said Ramzi Abdi, parent of Finn and Zayn.
Ramzi Abdi and his children, Finn and Zayn, are recovering from the flu while at home.  (Carmen Wong/CTV News Kitchener)
Abdi considered taking his children to the hospital, but hesitated because of the nationwide shortage of children’s flu and cold medicine.
“There was a reluctance to go because going to the hospital, they’ll say your child needs medicine to reduce the fever,” Abdi said.
Adding: “The frustration and despair, like when I’m driving somewhere when I see a place that might have a little.  I’m doing three, four, five stops just to get in for 30 seconds and try to find some.”
Abdi eventually found a pharmacist who was able to make a liquid pain reliever for his children.
“It’s extremely stressful as a parent, as you would do anything for your children,” she said.
He said he will continue to take care of the medicines left with them as a precautionary measure and hopes the government can put an end to the nationwide shortage of medicines.
Grand River Hospital said in October it saw a 37 percent increase in the number of children visiting its emergency department compared to this time last year.
The hospital said there was also a 60 per cent increase in admissions to their children’s unit compared to October 2021.
Many families said they were there because of the lack of pain medication.
Many of these admitted patients are being treated for respiratory illnesses.
These challenges are also being felt in the west at London Children’s.
“It’s a bit of a perfect storm, not just the numbers, but a lot of manpower challenges and on top of that supply chain issues that added to the challenge of doing our job,” said Dr. Rod Lim, the hospital’s pediatric emergency medical director. .
Dr. Lim spoke briefly at a media conference Wednesday held by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).
He said it was a “triple threat of respiratory viruses” in the coming months.
“We are already seeing an early start to flu season and the resurgence of a viral disease known as RSV, while COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities,” said OMA President Dr. Rose Zacharias.
Health officials are urging the public to get flu and COVID-19 shots and to wear a mask to limit the spread of disease.
The OMA is calling on the government to implement three solutions it believes will reduce pressures on hospitals this winter.
These include:


 An easier process for licensing internationally trained doctors.     Establish ambulatory centers to reduce delays in less complex surgeries.     More hospice beds and palliative care services to create better care for those in hospital.