I don’t care what I’m accused of.
Whatever the rhetoric is, first response should be “are you prepared?”
I’m not panicking because I’m prepared.
Unless otherwise explained, I assume the reason anyone “accuses others of inciting panic over the common cold” is because they’re personally not prepared, and their cognitive dissonance leads them to attack the messenger rather than act, quite sensibly, on the message.
Proper prepping prevents panic.