GOING VIRAL: THE EFFECTS OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAVE BEEN FAR-REACHING AND UNEXPECTED.

There are no positives to a global pandemic that cost more than 45,894 American lives, including at least 253 in North Carolina, as of April 23. But seeking meaning, solace and even humor was vital as everyone became experts on social distancing and epidemiology. Here are some manifestations with particular relevance to the Old North State.

Grocery growth

Asheville-based Ingles Markets is expanding its staff by 19%, or 5,000 workers, at its distribution centers and 198 stores. Food Lion expected sales to jump 14% in the first quarter. Kroger subsidiary Harris Teeter also planned 5,000 new hires.

Self testing

Burlington-based LabCorp released a $119 nasal-swab device for at-home testing, the first authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Grounded

Traffic at N.C. airports fell by more than 90%. Uncle Sam responded with $238 million in relief, including $18 million apiece for the Greenville and New Bern terminals.

Joe Exotic

About 64 million households tuned into Tiger King, a Netflix documentary about a big cat owner convicted of hiring a mercenary to kill an animal rights activist. The plot didn't work out, but Joseph Maldonado-Passage gained national attention.

Jeff Bezos

Demand for Amazon delivery services soared along with its stock. CEO Jeff Bezos' net worth jumped more than 20% to $138 billion. The online retail giant planned to add about 2,000 more N.C. employees as of mid-April.

Zoom

Upstart Zoom Video Communications rivaled giants Google and Cisco as a top at-home video-conferencing platform, creating a $40 billion market cap business.

No traffic

The N.C. Department of Transportation laid off 300 workers and delayed 88 major projects. Revenue from gas and vehicle sale taxes evaporated.

Disappearing jobs

More than 720,000 workers filed coronavirus-related unemployment claims in N.C., forcing the state government to add 1,100 staffers to handle the flood of applications.

Empty diners

More than 361,425 employees at the state's 19,504 restaurants were idled...