Elon Musk is not concerned about the novel strand of coronavirus that has now infected over 100,000 people.
Musk, who watched his much-maligned company Tesla shatter records on its way to a $130 billion market valuation, said the fear surrounding the rapidly spreading disease is all hype.
“The coronavirus panic is dumb,” tweeted Musk on Friday as markets closed heading into the weekend.
The coronavirus panic is dumb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2020
The COVID-19 virus has infected more than 100,000 people and killed over 3,000 people worldwide. Older people are particularly vulnerable to the disease, and a Business Insider infographic showed that people over the age of 50 are significantly more at risk than younger adults, teenagers, and children.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has struggled to hold year-to-date gains as anxiety about COVID-19 has led to school and event cancellations around the world. In the United States, companies have instructed employees to be prepared to work from home, and panic-buying at supermarkets across the country has been widespread.
Less than an hour after posting the tweet, more than 130,000 people had agreed with the SpaceX founder’s sentiment.
