If you've noticed a complete lack of over-the-counter medications like children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen available on pharmacy shelves, you're not alone, as a nationwide shortage has Ontario residents jumping from store to store and even crossing the U.S. border for health care basics.

Ottawa has also noticed, and like Canadians who have road-tripped south of the border for relief, the federal government is also turning to foreign supply to help address the shortage.

Almost every kid in Ontario is sick. I can get children's Tylenol anywhere. Never mind anything else. My sister works at a pharmacy and they can't seem to get their orders.

— Frank Skelton (@skeltonf) November 14, 2022

Health Canada announced steps on Monday to restock barren pharmacy shelves amid what is starting to look like a perfect storm of respiratory illnesses, stating that the federal agency shares "the concerns of parents and caregivers about their inability to find infant and children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen."

"These products are essential for families, caregivers, and health care professionals to reduce fever and pain."

Where’s the children’s Tylenol and Advil in Ontario Canada??
🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ @tylenol @AdvilRelief specifically ones for 2-11 year olds.

— Audrey B 🇨🇦 (@Audrey97302527) November 14, 2022

Health Canada says it has "secured foreign supply of children's acetaminophen that will be available for sale at retail and in community pharmacies in the coming weeks," hoping to "increase supply available to consumers and will help address the immediate situation."

It’s been way too long. That’s not temporary. It’s horrifying.

— Audrey B 🇨🇦 (@Audrey97302527) November 14, 2022

But Health Canada is still pleading with the public to take "only what they need, so that other parents and caregivers can access medication so we can meet the needs of sick children."

We've been working closely with Health Canada to find alternate solutions, which includes being granted a temporary exception to import a limited amount of Children's TYLENOL® from our global supply.

— TYLENOL® (@tylenol) November 14, 2022

So, basically, we're like one or two steps short of federally rationing pain medication.

Kind of like how Ontario went one step short of mandating mask use on Monday morning, with a strong recommendation that people mask up in public settings as overlapping respiratory infection outbreaks slam the already-on-the-brink health care system in the province.

In Ontario we have no infant or childrens advil/tylenol on shelves and everybody I know's kids or grandchildren have fevers Almost out of amoxicillin and erythromycin for infants/kids Wear a mask make masks mandatory in schools public gatherings

— Moni Thats All (@MsMoni1968) November 14, 2022

Ontario's top doctor, Dr. Kieran Moore, refused to impose a mask mandate amid what he called a "triple threat" in his Monday presser, a move that has been condemned by some columnists and online commentators as more political than practical.

@OntarioHospitals #OntarioHealthCare #Ontario #MaskMandatesNow

Overcrowed hospitals
Understaffed hospitals
Shortage of drugs to treat prevalent respiratory diseases#ford government too cowardly to mandate masks

WHAT COULD GO WRONG!

— Sportymorty (@Sportymorty) November 14, 2022

Others still argue that the current masking and medication situations are completely unrelated.

Ontario: your pediatric ICUs are full because there’s no Tylenol on the shelves, walk-ins won’t take febrile patients, and your family doc is booking 3 months out. Ask @fordnation why.

Masks won’t fix this.#onpoli #BringBackMasks

— Theo Rasmussen (@ThRasmu) November 14, 2022

In addition to supplying pharmacies, Health Canada also recently approved an exceptional importation of these medications to supply understocked hospitals.

However, it's not just as simple as importing the drugs, as Health Canada must ensure that "all information related to cautions and warnings, dosing directions, ingredients, and other important details will be made available in both English and French to ensure parents and caregivers clearly understand what medication they are using and how to give to their children."