The coronavirus freaked people out in its early weeks. Researchers at the Qualcomm Institute’s Center for Data Driven Health at the University of California San Diego now know how much. The group examined internet searches related to acute anxiety during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. … The largest increase in acute anxiety queries occurred March 28, 2020, with 52% more queries than expected during normal times. On that date, the U.S. passed 2,000 deaths from COVID-19.