Seem Like Every Store Seems to be Picked Over? Blame Coronavirus

I am by no means a health expert nor am I minimizing how serious the Corona Virus 2019 but it's been insane to see so many stores out of basic necessities and such frantic shoppers.

Unless I'm missing something, the background I've found makes it pretty clear that there are ways to reduce your risk for contracting the virus (avoiding long flights if you're medically fragile, skipping large gatherings like concerts or conventions, etc.), but the most important thing to control the spread and impact is simply, washing your hands.

It's probably a sad truth that most people do not wash their hands as thoroughly or frequently as they should.  I have the gift of being a somewhat-recovering germophobe.  Therefore, hand-washing and bathing in sanitizer are not just familiar but a comfort zone.

At the same time, with the exceptions of those in precarious medical situations, this seems like something we have a lot more control over that the empty shelves would leave you to believe.

I even saw one friend post on Facebook tonight, asking "Is anyone at Costco?  Do they have any more toilet paper?"

Dr. Drew of TV fame has been a vocal critic of our general response to Coronavirus and shared his concerns in an interview I've posted above.

You can also do what I did and check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention special content and make some judgements for yourself once you've become more informed.

No matter where you land on things, it does seem the empty shelves indicate at least a tendency towards a more escalted response.