Panic buying hits NYC as people stock up on supplies after healthcare worker is first coronavirus case in state
New Yorkers rushed to supermarkets on Sunday, clearing shelves as they stocked up on food and medical supplies in panic after a woman was confirmed to be the first coronavirus case of the state. The woman has been identified as a healthcare worker in her 30s. No more information is available on her yet.
The United States has noted a spike in the number of coronavirus cases with 86 confirmed patients and two confirmed deaths. The new strain of coronavirus has killed over 3,000 in over two months and has infected over 89,000 people globally, with a majority of them in China.
Panic buying in New York City was triggered after health authorities warned that Americans should start preparing for a domestic acceleration of the virus. Multiple videos emerged on social media, showing shoppers rushing to a supermarket and stocking up on essential items, including toilet paper, bottled water, disinfectant wipes and sanitizer at a Costco in Brooklyn.
Reports state that people were also spotted scrambling to get hold of food at a Chinese supermarket in Queens on Sunday. While others shared pictures of empty shelves a grocery stores in NY over the weekend. Other US regions, including California, Hawaii, and Minnesota have also witnessed an increase in the sale of essential items.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on Sunday, confirmed that the first coronavirus patient in New York was a woman who has currently isolated herself at her Manhattan home. Cuomo's office, in a statement, revealed that the woman contracted the virus while traveling in Iran. The governor admitted that the virus' entrance into New York's population of 19 million was a "matter of when, not if."
Meanwhile, US Surgeon General Dr Jerome Adams on Sunday urged people to stop panic-buying face masks as he feared that a shortage could result in an even bigger threat if medical facilities could not access the product. "Seriously people - STOP Buying MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" Adams tweeted.
"The best way to protect yourself and your community is with everyday preventive actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness," he added.