As the coronavirus pandemic has spread, Americans have taken to stores to clear out shelves of hand sanitizer, canned goods and other emergency rations.
For some reason, they’ve also started panic-buying toilet paper.
According to some estimates, Americans use less than half a roll per week on average. According to others, the average is a little over one. Even at that upper limit, it would take a household of 15 to rip through just one Costco-sized 30-pack of Kirkland Signature two-ply over the course of a 14-day quarantine. For a couple, one pack should last for nearly four months.
If toilet paper was truly in short supply, some degree of stockpiling would be understandable. COVID-19 can manifest in gastrointestinal distress, in addition to its typical dry cough, fever and risk of pneumonia, and those feeling the symptoms should avoid public places such as the grocery store.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
