Clue: Dose people gripped by fear of coronavirus? (8)
Answer: PANDEMIC
Explanation: Dose people gripped by fear of coronavirus? (8)
**DEM** ("dose people") *gripped* *by* **PANIC** ("fear") 
*If you have a cold, and try to say, "those people" it might come out as "dose people". Similary, "them" would sound like "dem"