Panic buying has hit New York with anxious shoppers clearing supermarket shelves as they stock up on food and medical supplies after a woman became the state’s first confirmed coronavirus case.
People started stockpiling items from stores over the weekend as authorities confirmed on Sunday that a healthcare worker in her 30s had been diagnosed with coronavirus.
The number of cases across the U.S. soared to 89 over the weekend with two confirmed deaths from the virus.
The two coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed in Washington state and included a resident at the Life Care Center nursing home and a patient at the Evergreen Health hospital.
The spread of the disease, which began in China and has seen more than 89,000 cases worldwide and over 3,000 fatalities, prompted panic-buying ever since health authorities warned that Americans should start preparing for domestic acceleration of the virus.
Videos emerged on social media over the weekend of shoppers rushing to stock up on toilet paper, bottled water, disinfectant wipes and sanitizer at a Costco in Brooklyn.
Shoppers were pictured lining up outside supermarkets on Monday morning as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that the city will be testing for community spread.
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