This week, U.S. consumers realized that the new coronavirus was threatening their homes, and began to show a common symptom in Asia and Europe: hoarding.
The U.S. hasn't reached the level of Italy recently - supermarket shelves have been emptied, and videos on social media show customers fighting for bags of spaghetti.
But there is no doubt that there is a growing sense of urgency among the American people to stock up on daily necessities and prepare for long-term isolation at home.
"I'm buying flu and painkillers - if I wait until next week, I'm afraid it's gone," said Dean McKnight, an engineer in Austen, Dezhou, pointing to the shelves of HEB supermarket. Several over-the-counter drugs, mainly children's flu drugs, have been sold out on the shelves.
McKnight, who worked in Hong Kong and Mainland China during the SARS outbreak, has personally experienced the pressure of the rapidly growing pandemic, but said he was not panicked.
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