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Stores in coronavirus-affected areas are selling out of more than just toilet paper and hand sanitizer. According to one local news source in the United Kingdom, retailers are suddenly experiencing a “condom shortage,” as couples realize they may be stranded together for weeks.

“Some people have started to stock up on food and hygiene products. Others are stockpiling condoms! Indeed, according to several studies, couples are beginning to anticipate the potential quarantine ahead,” Gent Side UK reported Tuesday.

In China, according to Wired Magazine, condoms flew off the shelves almost as quickly as medical supplies like face masks.

Indeed, sales of condoms seem to be driving some good economic news — at least for companies like Trojan, whose parent corporation, Church & Dwight Co. Ltd., could achieve a share price of more than $65 by the end of this month according to market experts, even as most stocks experience a downturn (though the same experts warn that the market is experiencing unprecedented volatility).

Dating does seem to be a top concern, though, for the coronavirus quarantined. Dating apps are now warning users to maintain social distance and abide by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when it comes to interacting with anyone, even a potential mate. Kissing, Wired says, is one of the most efficient modes of transfer for the coronavirus, which lives in bodily fluids.

“You could date someone new and make that connection high intensity, but you should then break many of your other normal contacts, especially those that end up reaching the elderly and infirm,” one expert told the magazine. “Responsible individuals will choose to forgo dating entirely or shift it to online interaction instead.”

That’s different if you’re in a committed relationship or you happened to be quarantined with your significant other, according to experts who spoke to Fox Business. In fact, those same experts say it’s not unreasonable to expect that, if the coronavirus shutdown lasts several weeks, as likely, there will be a “baby boom” toward the end of 2020.

“It’s going to happen. It’s probably going to be the biggest baby boom we’ve seen,” Dr. Kevin Kathrotia of Millennium Neonatology, told the network. “Any time there’s the threat of a hurricane, there’s a little baby boom.”

“Everyone’s at home,” he continued. “Those already with kids are less likely to have a kid, but those married without kids — there’s going to be kids in nine months, I can assure you.”

Others predict there may be a baby boom nine months after the pandemic is declared defeated.

“There’s an overwhelming amount of fear right now and maybe the next couple months,”one OB/GYN told Fox Business. “When that’s over, everyone’s going to be like, ‘Let’s make a baby.'”

The good news is, coronavirus does not appear to be a threat to pregnant women, newborn babies, or breastfeeding mothers. At least three babies have tested positive for the coronavirus — all three in the United Kingdom — but all three are said to be doing fine. Hospitals are equipped to handle births in a time of crisis, and several children were born in Wuhan, China, at the height of the epidemic, the experts tell Fox.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/03/coronavirus-baby-boom-stores-now.html