Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted a tweet saying "coronavirus panic is dumb" after it was reported that several countries had registered new cases of the disease in the past 24 hours.
Netizens were quick to respond to the post with comments of their own.
Some users, however, considered the tweet upsetting, while others posted sarcastic comments implying that Musk was underestimating the issue.
COVID-19 originated in Hubei province in late December and has since claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people in mainland China. Outside China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran remain the countries most affected by the new disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.