Why are people buying so much toilet paper? Will supplies run out? Here are some answers

Frantic shoppers are clearing store shelves of face masks, hand sanitizer and toilet paper across the United States as coronavirus cases grow.

Wait, toilet paper?

After all, it’s not as though Charmin or Angel Soft can protect you against the COVID-19 virus. So what’s going on?

“(Coronavirus) is engendering a sort of survivalist psychology, where we must live as much as possible at home and thus must ‘stock up’ on essentials, and that certainly includes toilet paper,” says Frank Farley, a professor at Temple University and former president of the American Psychological Association, CNN reports.

Stocking up on toilet paper may help reassure people they’re still in control as the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow, says Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist and author of “The Psychology of Pandemics,” CNN reported.

“There is comfort in knowing that it’s there,” said psychologist Mary Alvord, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine, Time reported. “We all eat and we all sleep and we all poop. It’s a basic need to take care of ourselves.”

And, of course, the thought of running out of toilet paper during a long stretch of self-isolation isn’t very appealing.

““It’s about being clean and presentable and social and not smelling bad,” Alvord said, Time reported.

More than 222,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 9,000 deaths as of March 19, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 9,400 confirmed cases with at least 150 deaths.

Finally, panic buying begets panic buying, Taylor said, according to the network. Shoppers see others stocking up on toilet paper and decide it must be a good idea.

Stores in the United States are seeing “sporadic and regional” shortages of toilet paper, The Washington Post reports.

With all this panic buying, will the United States run out of toilet paper?

Not if Georgia-Pacific can help it.

The Atlanta-based company, which produces the Angel Soft and Quilted Northern brands, says it’s ramping up production to meet a spike in demand, Forbes reports.

“These increases have been as high as two times our normal demand,” said Fernando Gonzalez, president of Georgia-Pacific’s consumer business, according to the publication.

The company also supplies toilet paper to businesses, including hotels, Forbes reports. With travel and other outings on the decline, Georgia-Pacific expects to shift products from that side of the company to the consumer side to meet the demand.

“We’re a market-based company, so we’ll continue to review and adjust to meet any demand,” said spokesperson Eric Abercrombie, AL.com reported.

Procter & Gamble, makers of Charmin, says it, too, has noticed a spike in demand and is working to keep store shelves stocked, The Washington Post reported.

About 90 percent of the toilet paper used in the United States is manufactured here, according to the publication.

This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Why are people buying so much toilet paper? Will supplies run out? Here are some answers."