wow, I live in a small town in Wisconsin and I didn't think this virus thing would have any affect on us, but, I went shopping today at my local Walmart and not a single roll of TP was to be found! My daughter says that they aren't selling it on Amazon either. But, I could still buy kleenex and so I stocked up on that - any port in the storm!

Our Costco was cleared of ALL meat except Brisket yesterday, no frozen veggies, no water, toilet paper, kleenexes amd paper towels not to mention cleaning supplies. Hysteria

Same here in Arizona -

Nary a roll of toilet paper in my town or the neighboring town. People are such idiots! Most of the stores started limiting how much you can buy of many things because it appears some people are selling it on Craigs List and Ebay for a fortune.

People need to get some perspective. 2009 there was no media frenzie and no panic though 60 million Americans had Swine Flue and 18, 000 died from it. Cornona Virus 1000 Americans have it. 40 died (not one of whom was under 50 years of age). All this fear monging is politically motivated. The same media which buried the Swine Flu story is trying to terrorize Americans over a disease which over 98 percent of those who get it will not feel anything more than like they have a cold.

Office Depot where I work has not had any hand santizer for a week and just ran out of toiler paper and other cleaning products.. We still have some soap.

Such selfish buying in the "I Must Grab Everything " mode is totally disgusting

It is happening in some stores here in the UK also.

But the small supermarket I regularly frequent (a slightly higher class establishment and therefore slightly more expensive, I admit ) is acting quite differently as regards toilet paper supplies.

They are offering every customer "a pack of eighteen toilet rolls" at a much reduced price !!

One pack per customer, obviously, but thereby giving equal shares to all

Just absolute craziness. I'm glad to hear people are being forced to use common sense there, Mad! We are so far behind here in the US. The problem with this virus is the transmission rate. Although the seasonal flu and flus like Swine flu are awful and tens of thousands have died, the rate of transmission with this one is exponential. Although it's not clear yet, it appears that the death rate is much higher than the seasonal flu or the Swine flu. The fear is that if we aren't aggressive enough in slowing it down, it will overwhelm our health care system. There are only so many beds in the hospitals and medical professionals to provide the care. Then how do they care for the rest of the population with seasonal flu and cancer and other health problems. This is what happened in Italy where they are having to triage patients.

So far it's been people with underlying health conditions and the elderly. However, although it's not killing children yet, my friend's 8 year-old son who has asthma is at extreme risk and she has been advised to take him out of school and keep him away from large gatherings. And another friend who has an 18 year-old daughter with severe juvenile diabetes and a compromised immune system has also been so advised.

While I'm certainly not going to join the panickers, I am going to stay alert and aware because my husband and I are considered to be high risk because of our ages.

Drac, that is exactly how I feel to. I will be vigilant. Cautious. My daughter said that flights are so low right now that I can get a round-trip ticket to Florida for 48 dollars. But, I don't want to sit on a plane for 3 hours breathing in everyone's germs. i am older too, I have to be extra careful. Going to the store today, I wiped my cart off and before I even unloaded my groceries, washed my hands and sanitized. We do need to be careful.

I just watched a video of people lining up outside at Costco..wrapped around the parking lot. Same here stores have empty shelves.

Same here in Chicago. I don't go out, but my brother said Jewel and Target had no toilet paper, paper towels, or soup. I guess people are staying home to eat soup and go poop! All the schools, museums, and zoos, etc. are closed. I'm not saying this is not serious but I don't feel there is such a need for the panic that is being created. Good thing I had my brother buy me a 27 pack of toilet paper and a 6 pack of paper towels BEFORE this became an issue!

Just to be clear, I needed the toilet paper and I always get the 27 pack!

Also happening here in Canada, our area, Rockland, Orleans and Ottawa are sold out on Toilet Paper , Napkins, Hand soap, etc. These people are Idiots and selfish, thinking of Just themselves and panicking for no reason and others are doing it to take advantage to ROB people by selling it for more Money. But here in our area, the paper mills CEOs were interviewed and they have more than enough product supplies to make an abundance of toilet paper, so there is NO need to panic. A Loblaws CEO said they will Keep on top of the Toilet Paper supply and demand.

Just to show you how some people can be SO STUPID, GREEDY AND SELFISH WHEN THERE IS STATE OF EMERGENCY. Makes me Angry and disappointed......

Same here - it's "I've got mine, screw you." How about you grab a 3-pack of disposable pans and bake a cake or make a casserole for someone who is homebound and needs it. And throw in a couple rolls of TP with it.

Sad and frustrating part is that no one in US started preventative measures back in December when it was first discovered.

We have no hand sanitizer, toilet paper, masks, latex gloves or alcohol wipes. The greed is astonishing. It's putting lives at risk -- people like diabetics and cancer patients and people with immune deficiencies. My husband is in his sixth year of cancer treatment and I'm so worried about him. The virus just hit Vancouver Island and it's headed our way. Hand washing is great until you're out shopping and there's nowhere to wash hands.

We're just going to run the garden hose into the house. A little duct tape and voila, a backwoods bidet!

Just a gentle nudge, here -- this virus is already killing people at a higher rate than flu and we do need to take it seriously. It just hasn't hit North America very hard yet, but it will. Please be careful and stay healthy for yourself, for your loved ones, and for the ones who love you.

We want you to be with us for a long time yet.

Hm. Not a bad idea, actually. Hose from the sink tap? Something to ponder if the paper supply keeps getting depleted.

Hagatha, I hope your husband weathers this crisis. Making light of this disease is easy unless you are one of those people over 50 who are high-risk or you are someone with a compromised immune system like your husband. They estimate that 80% of the people who contract it will be fine, but when you are one of that 20% who will need more care or hospitalization, it's very scary. Overwhelming the health care system is the greatest fear... just look to Italy where they are triaging people over 80 to not receive emergency care. Please take care up there in Canada!

No it isn't. That's media hype. You are far more likely to die in a car crash., driving to the store to panic buy stuff. Chicago street gangs murder more people every weekend. The flu kills thousands of people every year. This virus is nothing in comparison. You should be asking who benefits from all this hysteria. its not the travel business. My cousin loses money every day. She's spending her time canceling cruises (past the 30 days cruise lines have canceled them) rather than booking them. Her family won't starve because her husband has a job, as long it doesn't close down, and they raise their own pigs, sheep and chickens, Also have bees producing honey and a large garden. Because they don[t ive in a city.

Thanks, Draclvr,

My husband has, over 5 years, had two major surgeries, as well as chemo, radiation, more radiation, and more chemo (thank you, Canadian health system!). Two years ago he was in hospital for three months following the removal of a large tumour from his sacrum (base of the spine) because of three different infections contracted after the 10-hour surgery. He has fought long and hard and with his current chemo regimen has a chance at having a few more decent years, and it would be appalling if this virus is what gets him because nobody can get basic sanitization supplies. I managed to find the very last box of alcohol wipes in this city, which means that he does have some means of sanitizing if he has to go out for any reason.

He's a stubborn old git, but I finally convinced him that he has to stay at home for the time being, barring emergencies. I remind him that summer is coming, and with it many days out in the boat having close encounters with whales. He has to stay healthy for that.

Being a stubborn old git is probably what will carry him through! The only voice I'm listening to and heeding is Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director. He says, use social distancing? I will do it. He says, shut down gatherings of more than 50 people? Done. His interviews yesterday put forth the gravity of the situation quite clearly. We either take this seriously or we go the way of Italy was his bottom line.

Please note: While we may not all see things the same way, we are all adults here so I will tolerate a civil discussion. So far so good.

This isn't Twitter or FaceBook or other social media and anything rude or hatefully bashing anothers opinion in a harsh way will be promptly deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned temporarily or permanently. I have not edited anything or deleted anything to this point, but I am just asking everyone to think hard before you post because I can see that the more the country becomes locked down that tempers will start to escalate. I thank you all for your consideration of others.

Ana

Yes, absolutely we need to stay isolated. If there's a country or province-wide shutdown, things could get bad.

I've been doing a bit of shopping over the last two days, and it's an eye-opener. Everyone is panicking and buying up case-lots of everything, and now there are no canned goods anywhere except for the most expensive soups and a few random leftover cans of tomatoes. No frozen vegetables, very few frozen fruits, almost no onions or garlic. The list goes on. Fortunately I always have large stores of pastas, sauces and dried beans and lentils, so we might be a bit carby and bored, but we won't suffer too much if we have to stay in for a while.

At least people are taking it seriously, though, and are choosing to self-isolate before things get bad here instead of waiting. The streets are empty. The only busy places are the grocery store parking lots.

I'm predicting that all of a sudden everyone will remember about their pets, and then there will be shortages of kitty litter and treats, not to mention food. Because we are ruled by our furry Ayatollah, She Who Must Be Obeyed, the Fluffy Fuhrer, (may her reign be great and victorious), I made sure that we have adequate supplies of everything cat-related except, alas, frozen Spot Prawns, which are not in season.

Walmart is all out of that and our save on foods they are all out but the bad part is the other day a guy knocked over a elderly lady and took her paper from herin Walmart but the police were called in and he got charged Costo people were lined up there from the road way right to the door another guy got caught selling it off the back of his truck what are these crazy greedy people doing .