As the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 continues to rise in Virginia and across the nation, more attention is being paid to the mental and psychological impact of both the virus and the measures being taken to stop its spread.

During a recent briefing announcing further closures of schools, businesses and entertainment venues, Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a physician, also warned the public to expect instances of height- ened anxiety, depression, alcoholism and domestic violence, largely as a consequence of the uncertainty.

“The sooner we all take these nec- essary steps to slow the spread, the sooner we will all get through this,” Gov. Northam said. “It will take time, but we can and we will get through this together.”

Dr. Pamela Hamilton-Stubbs, health committee chair for both the Virginia State Conference NAACP and the Henrico County branch, said the psychological effects that she dubbed “coronavirus anxiety” already are being felt and mirror those of previous contagions that disrupted societies.

A particular focus for Dr. Hamilton-Stubbs is the flu pandemic that started in Kansas in 1918, swept the world and led to the reshaping of American society to weather the social and financial upset.

Like that flu outbreak, panic and hoarding are key social behaviors that can be seen in the public response to the outbreak of the coronavirus and the measures taken to contain it, according to Dr. Hamilton-Stubbs. She cites the empty store shelves as examples of “panic buying” in the wake of restrictions on businesses, gatherings and school closures to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

“Panic occurs when people feel threatened,” Dr. Hamilton-Stubbs said in an email to the Free Press. “When people feel (a) loss of control of the environment, (an)inability to obtain essential products and do not see a path to resolution of the pandemic, fear and panic ensue.”

The behaviors also are evident as people store large quantities of hand sanitizer, toilet paper and other products in response to recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and fears about future quarantines.

She notes that the hoarding could potentially lead to shortages that will disproportionately hurt lower-income people who are unable to purchase those products like wealthier individuals.

She also noted the changes by governments and institutions in reacting to the pandemic as well. Dr. Hamilton-Stubbs wrote that during the 1918 flu pandemic, governments worked to tightly control what information was available to their citizens while trying to assign blame to other nations for their hardships.

Along a similar vein, Gov. Northam has expressed concern over how the federal government has handled the pandemic, citing a lack of communication from the federal government as well as misinformation and mixed messages that have made tackling the virus difficult for all states.

How local, federal and global authorities respond to COVID-19 could affect not just how people act, but how they process the continuing restrictions. So far, Dr. Hamilton-Stubbs wrote, that response has run the gamut from expanded access to medical care to business loans for small businesses, coordination across public and private sector work, and promoting information and practices that keep people healthy and safe.

Asked how authorities can best respond specifically to these psychological effects, Dr. Hamilton-Stubbs wrote that governments need to be transparent about the nature of the pandemic, providing accurate information to the public.

For the average person worrying about coronavirus, Dr. Hamilton-Stubbs suggests to stay calm, stay informed and encourage others to do the same.