Panic buying

Panic buying during various health crises is influenced by "(1) individuals' perception of the threat of a health crisis and scarcity of products; (2) fear of the unknown, which is caused by emotional pressure and uncertainty; (3) coping behaviour, which views panic buying as a venue to relieve anxiety and regain control over the crisis; and (4) social psychological factors, which account for the influence of the social network of an individual".

[2] It is of interest in consumer behavior theory, the broad field of economic study dealing with explanations for "collective action such as fads and fashions, stock market movements, runs on nondurable goods, buying sprees, hoarding, and banking panics".

Stores around the world were depleted of items such as face masks, food, bottled water, milk, toilet paper,[48] hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, antibacterial wipes and painkillers.

[55] Online retailers such as eBay and Amazon began to pull certain items listed for sale by third parties such as toilet paper,[56] face masks, pasta, canned vegetables, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes over price gouging concerns.

This high amount of negative viral posts could act as an emotional trigger of anxiety and panic, spontaneously spreading fear and fueling psychological reactions in midst of the crisis.