Is your child "under the weather" at the moment? They are not alone.

From flu to COVID, from stomach bugs to upper respiratory viruses, "sick season" has been raging extra-early this year. Doctors' offices across New Jersey have been packed for almost a month now.

Especially concerning is an uptick in cases of respiratory syncytial virus — RSV — among the very young and very old.

We have had a variety of viruses floating around the Zarrow household in the last week and a half. First, our middle kid was down and out with rhinovirus and adenovirus for an entire week. Then our youngest developed a bad cough. Then our oldest was in bed with the flu for three days straight. (Supposedly, ten of the 24 students in his 2nd grade class were absent earlier this week.)

Poor little Griffin fighting his cold with rest, fluids, a little bit of TV, and a nice warm blanket. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Poor little Griffin fighting his cold with rest, fluids, a little bit of TV, and a nice warm blanket. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
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Of course, all that drama is nothing compared to our little 6 month old niece, who was hospitalized for a week with RSV just before Thanksgiving. (I'm happy to say she's doing great now.)

Making the situation far worse is a severe shortage of children's cold medicine across the state. It's bad — many pharmacies and grocery stores are out of everything. Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, Mucinex, and more. Name-brand or store-brand. Even Amazon's supply of over-the-counter medicine is scarce.

A barren children's medicine shelf at Stop & Shop in Edison, N.J. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
A barren children's medicine shelf at Stop & Shop in Edison, N.J. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
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Not a drop of Children's Tylenol or Motrin to be found at CVS in Clark, N.J. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Not a drop of Children's Tylenol or Motrin to be found at CVS in Clark, N.J. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
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Nope, nothing at this CVS either. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
Nope, nothing at this CVS either. (Dan Zarrow, Townsquare Media)
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Ugh, the bare shelves — it's an uncomfortable reminder of the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's almost like no one learned any lessons from those supply crunches. Especially given the advance notice from experts about the impending surge in illnesses.

Hopefully those meds are restocked soon. (I have heard that the supply is much better in Pennsylvania, by the way.)

And hopefully this early brunt of cold and flu season means fewer kids (and adults) will get sick this winter.

Dan Zarrow is Chief Meteorologist for Townsquare Media New Jersey. Follow Dan on Facebook or Twitter for your latest weather forecast updates.

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25 Christmas songs performed by NJ artists

If you celebrate Christmas, the next month of your life is likely going to be consumed with shopping for gifts, retrieving a tree, decorating the house, and going out on adventures to see elaborate light displays.

The one thing that you must have at the ready for all of these scenarios is Christmas music.

Since a lot of the songs you hear tend to get repetitive this time of year, why not pay homage to some of the great singers, bands, and musicians that make New Jersey's music history so rich.

Want to take these songs on the go with you? Here's the Spotify playlist.

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