The Department of Health (DOH) assured on Tuesday, Jan. 4 that there is no ongoing shortage of paracetamol and other drugs for flu-like symptoms.
In a statement, DOH said that there has been an observed increased demand for the products as the agency consulted major drugstore chains and local manufacturers and suppliers on the status of its supply.
A lot of social media posts surfaced the past few days showing long queues at drugstores wherein people shared their experience that they had to go from one store to another since paracetamol and other similar drugs were out of stock.
"Paracetamol has many generic alternatives in the market, which are available in many drug stores nationwide," DOH said.
"We are constantly monitoring the status of supply of critical medicines for COVID-19 including supportive medicines for symptomatic treatment," it added.
DOH said that it is currently working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to secure the needed health products for the country's response to COVID-19.
It also appealed to the public to refrain from hoarding, panic-buying or unnecessary purchases of such medications when not clinically warranted.