Toilet paper, pasta, canned goods, soap these are just some of the items swiftly disappearing from supermarket shelves in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak .

Video footage shared over the weekend showed U.K. shoppers in a branch of Costco filling their already overflowing carts with multi-packs of toilet paper. And now, supermarkets are having to take action.

Tesco, for example, is imposing a maximum purchase limit (five per customer) on items including antibacterial products, dried pasta and milk. Meanwhile, Boots and LloydsPharmacy have had to limit the sale of hand sanitizer.

Lets call it what it is: panic-buying. And while its an understandable reaction to an uncertain situation, it is impacting peoples lives and could have a profound impact on supply chains.

One mom said she was struggling to access medicine for her disabled childs pain management, and there are also fears the hysteria will impact the most vulnerable members of society : people on low incomes, retirees, and those with disabilities or chronic illnesses. So why is it happening?