Over 70 countries have already confirmed cases of a novel coronavirus, covering a large number in China, followed by South Korea, Italy, and Iran.

Started in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the COVID-19 coronavirus quickly spread through parts of Asia, and now has reached North America, the Middle East, and Europe, in just a matter of three months.

As of this writing, there are 91,318 people infected and more than 3,000 confirmed deaths worldwide.

With that said, the outbreak raised worldwide anxiety concerning the rapid increase in affected countries, thus, leaving a global run on sales of face masks despite health officials plea to stop 'panic buying' and hoarding.

Face Mask Mania

Outbreak, but make it fashion!

Celebrities were spotted taking no chance and sporting different kinds of face masks amid the virus scare.

Host, Steve Harvey, and wife, Marjorie, wore a bedazzled face mask while sitting in a first-class plane.

Actress, Kate Hudson, and supermodel, Bella Hadid posted a selfie wearing a surgical mask.

Selena Gomez, on the other hand, wore a painter's mask to protect herself from the virus.

"Goop" founder, Gwyneth Paltrow warns the public as she posts a photo of herself in black face mask with captions: "Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow's just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane. I've already been in this movie. Stay safe. Don't shake hands. Wash hands frequently. ."

The actress was referring to her 2011 thriller movie "Contagion."

Meanwhile, heath organizations urge influencers to avoid wearing masks as they only promote a dangerous myth to the public.

"Stop Wearing Masks"

With the increasing number of patients and the decreasing number of available surgical grade masks, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only recommends three types of people to use it.

First, people showing symptoms of the disease, like common respiratory illness such as cough, fever, and colds. Second are health care workers and lastly, those who are taking care of someone at home who might be infected.

Amid the mask-buying frenzy, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, took to his social media to address the public regarding the current situation.

In his Twitter account, he posted: "Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"

It was also said that wearing masks won't do any good but rather it will make the situation worse.

"There's little harm in it, but it's not likely to be very effective in preventing it," Eric Toner, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Business Insider.

CDC also added that the best way to keep yourself from the virus is not by wearing a surgical mask but rather frequently washing your hands, avoiding touching your face and also by avoiding any contact from a sick patient.

READ MORE: Caitlyn Jenner Done Talking About Politics -- Here's Why!

Tags
Gwyneth Paltrow, Steve Harvey, Selena Gomez, Kate Hudson, Coronavirus