Heartbreaking Moment Elderly Woman is 'Left in Tears' Staring at Empty Shelves

If by some unknown reason you didn't already know, we are in the midst of a global pandemic.

via GIPHY

And it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, a deadly virus known as the coronavirus has been rapidly spreading across the globe.

But what exactly is the coronavirus?

via: Getty Images

Reuters gave a short guide to what it is exactly... "Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that get their name from what they look like under a microscope - they are spherical and their surfaces are covered with "crown"-like spikes."

So far, the symptoms have proven to be deadly.

via: Getty

"Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and death."

A lot of people have now died from the virus...

via: Getty Images

It has been confirmed by Worldometer that 3,408 people have now died globally, with the majority being in mainland China. A further 100,379 people have been found to carry the virus and be infected.

Things are only getting worse...

via: Getty Images

The virus continues to rapidly spread, and traces of the disease have already been discovered and confirmed in 8 other countries including here in America, the U.K, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Australia.

The United Nations have declared a global emergency.

via: Getty Images

The World Health Organization declared the emergency last month and called on all countries to take urgent measures to contain the respiratory disease.

And everyone has been asking the same thing...

via: Getty

What is it that's causing this deadly virus?

Bats are believed to be one of the main culprits...

via: Getty

Strains of the virus have been discovered in bats in the past and, with them being a delicacy in some areas of China, they are believed to be one of the primary causes.

But regardless of where it comes from, the virus can be spread quickly and easily...

via: Getty

And the World Health Organization has warned that it can be spread by simply coughing, kissing or making contact with saliva.

Scientists have been working tirelessly in a bid to find a vaccine...

via: Getty Images

But despite generous donations made to the cause, they have so far had no luck.

People all around the world are panicking.

via: Getty Images

It's a dire situation.

And many are going to extreme lengths to protect themselves.

via: Getty Images

People have been spotted donning face masks and various other items of clothing and materials in airports in a desperate bid to avoid the virus.

And last month, the panic peaked when the head of Wuhan Hospital, the city known for being at the center of the crisis, tragically died.

He is the first hospital director to die from contracting the deadly virus.

His death was confirmed by People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's Communist Party...

This was utterly devastating news.

It's safe to say that researchers are now getting desperate...

via: Getty Images

And there is an immense amount of pressure on authorities to find a cure, and fast.

Because the virus continues to spread across the globe like wildfire...

via: Getty

And it's showing no signs of slowing down.

Evidently, the coronavirus has been causing people all around the world to suffer from serious panic...

via: Getty

And many are experiencing anxiety and worry over the impending doom the virus brings with it.

Many people have resorted to buying in bulk to prepare for the worst...

via: Getty Images

Shelves in grocery stores all around the world have been emptied by people panic buying food and essentials to last them for months.

This is completely unnecessary...

via: Getty Images

And the selfish people out there who are insisting on emptying the shelves are making life much more difficult for others who are now in desperate need of groceries.

The people of Australia are in a mass panic right now...

via: Getty Images

According to the Australian health department, there are currently 709 confirmed cases in the country with 6 people now dead from the virus.

There has been a "toilet roll crisis" in Australia...

Citizens have been on a manic shopping spree emptying the shelves of toilet roll... but why?!

A little bit of advice got taken out of hand...

According to the BBC, official guidance advised people to practice good hygiene and wash their hands. It was also suggested that people could prepare two weeks' worth of food and water, as well as other household goods, if they felt it necessary... and this has been taken way too seriously.

The toilet roll sold in Australia is made locally...

So there is no chance of it running out... meaning these individuals are wasting not only their time but the time of innocent people needing to purchase their essentials.

This is causing a nation-wide panic...

And some poor people have been left unable to buy toilet roll when they actually need it.

Perth resident, Justine Bowers, came across the most heartbreaking thing recently when doing her grocery shop...

via: Facebook

She stumbled across an elderly man desperately looking for toilet rolls amongst the empty shelves.

Here is the heartbreaking picture...

via: Facebook

"This absolutely broke my heart seeing this old man grabbing tissues because there was no toilet paper left!" Justine wrote on Facebook. "I offered him the very few toilet rolls that I had as I couldn't bear to see him go without! Pull your f****** head in people and stop panic buying toilet paper!!! And shame on all the people who have been buying in bulk because it's affecting so many people who aren't fortunate enough to do so!"

via: Twitter

And it truly outlines how this manic bulk buying is terribly affecting those who are less fortunate.

Sadly, it's not just a one-off case of selfishness.

It's been happening all over, and another elderly woman has been photographed surrounded by empty shelves at a Coles supermarket.

Shoppers continue to hoard unnecessarily during the pandemic.

The heartbreaking picture was taken in the Port Melbourne store midday on Thursday.

News journalist, Seb Costello. posted the image to Twitter.

According to him, the woman was in tears. He wrote: 'This captures who is suffering from the me-first, unnecessary, trend of panic buying."

Where's the humanity?

Coles has reported that panicked shoppers have bought up to 3 Christmases worth of stock since the pandemic was declared.

Matthew Swindells, Coles Chief Operations Officer had this to say...

"It's not a problem of supply, it's a problem of demand." He compared the scale of hoarding to 5 seasons without the usual 6 months of planning. He continued: "When you see that immediate lift in demand across a network as large as Coles, it punches a huge stock hole in our supply lines and it takes time to recover."

Twitter users have been slamming hoarders for buying in bulk.

After watching the heartbreaking video, one wrote: "This really breaks my heart, the elderly have already given to society, why aren't we looking after them?? We will be them sooner than we realize. Bring in rationing....please let's look after the vulnerable."

While another wrote: "I am so disappointed with our country at the moment, especially our blatant disregard for our senior citizens."

Australia produces enough food for 3 times its population!

But despite these figures, Australia is now struggling due to people stocking up during the outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison begged Australians to "stop hoarding."

Supermarket stores will remain open throughout it all, so there's no need to stock up. He said: "I can't be more blunt about it. Stop it. It's ridiculous. It's un-Australian, and it must stop. It is not sensible and it is not helpful."

Mr. Morrison continued...

"It has been one of the most disappointing things I have seen in Australian behaviour in response to this crisis. That is not who we are as a people. It is not necessary. There is no reason for people to be hoarding supplies in fear of a lockdown or anything like this. It is not something that people should be doing."

On Wednesday Coles introduced a dedicated shopping hour for the elderly and vulnerable.

Coles gave a statement regarding its decision, saying: "Coles supermarkets will temporarily change their trading hours to open 7 am to 8 pm on weekdays, with the first hour of trade open exclusively to customers who hold a government-issued Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Companion Card, and Health Care Card."

Coles has implemented this to ensure everyone gets what they need.

They said: "Once this hour is complete, all other customers will be invited through the doors to complete their grocery shop. Supermarkets will also close no later than 8 pm to give our team members the time and space to extensively clean our stores and replenish the shelves for customers the next day."

On Monday, Helena Ellis, a Sydney based DJ shared something similar.

While shopping at an IGA store in Sydney, she came across an elderly man who was "at least 84," with "an empty trolley and was staring at empty shelves of bread," she said. "My heart broke."

Ms. Ellis had picked up the last 2 packs of hotdog buns.

So she decided to give him a packet of her own. She suggested it was time communities work together to protect the elderly, saying: "If you see an old person, please stop and ask them if they need anything... give them something from your trolley that is no longer on the shelves." Through it all, it's nice to see people coming together to help one another.