COVID seems to be the viral gift that keeps on giving, as the world is now dealing with a second wave of illnesses stemming from a variant of the original strain called Delta.
And as such, much of the world is reacting in the same way it did in response to the first wave: Panic.
The first problem region we are seeing is Britain, where supermarkets are now struggling to keep up with demand and ensure the population has an adequate supply of food because of panic buying and hoarding over what the English media is calling a “ping-demic” — which refers to being “pinged by the National Health System’s test-and-trace program.
Some speculated that the ping-demic would eventually cause food shortages in the UK, and sure enough, that’s what’s happening.
“Supermarkets have urged customers not to panic buy in response to reports of emptying shelves, saying they are continuing to receive regular deliveries,” The Independentreported late this week.
Other British media reported similar circumstances involving a growing number of supermarkets around the country, complete with photos of near-bare shelves (which, in fact, are only likely to create more panic and more panic buying).
But the latest round of food hoarding was likely caused by the NHS’ ping program; last week, the country’s public health agency sent out a half-million alerts notifying Britons they were required to self-quarantine for 10 days after they potentially came into contact with someone who was positive for COVID-19.
The pinging of so many citizens caused a run on food stores, which has, in turn, led to supply chain shock as hundreds of thousands of people flocked to stores for food and fuel to get through quarantines.
“Empty shelves seen in supermarkets as public warned ‘don’t panic buy’ as #pingdemiccripples Britain,” The Sun noted in a tweet featuring video of near-empty store shelves.
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