The flu epidemic that has swept across the state is causing some pharmacies to report a severe shortage of medication. 

State health officials say there have been 7,779 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu over the past week. A total of 1,759 patients required hospitalization. That figure is up from 1,606 in the previous week. 

Pharmacists say the medication Tamiflu, and its generic counterparts, are in such high demand that pharmacies are struggling to restock their shelves – especially in pediatric cases.

A spokesperson for CVS told News 12 Long Island that the company is monitoring the situation.

"We're continuing to supply stores with Tamiflu and other flu-related medications using our existing inventory network, but there may be instances when individual pharmacies could be temporarily out of stock," said the spokesperson. 

Pharmacists say the flu shot is a good idea, but they are also in short supply. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order Thursday allowing pharmacies to administer the flu shot to children as young as 2 years old.