COVID-19 AND THE RISKS OF SMOKING
No Better Time To Quit
The Chinese Medical Journal published a preliminary report on how smoking impacted some of the first COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Wuhan. One result jumped off the page. Smokers were 14 times more likely to progress to serious disease or death as a result of the virus than nonsmokers.
The science is proven. Inhaled nicotine, through vaping or traditional cigarettes, weakens the protective lining of the lung and paralyzes the tiny hair cells (cilia) that sweep the lung clear of foreign particles. Smokers already have widespread lung inflammation and micro-scarring that exacerbates the pneumonia firestorm caused by any virus – especially one as rampant as COVID-19
The message to smokers and vapers should be: quitting smoking is at least as important as washing your hands and social distancing to keep yourself and others around you safe. Unfortunately, even after we get on the other side of this pandemic, we are months (possibly years) from a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19. There is no better time to quit smoking and quit vaping to give your lungs a fighting chance.
Reposted from: Salon
Three experts told Salon that people should not jump to conclusions about recent studies into nicotine and COVID-19.
Old cigarette ads often made outrageous claims about cigarettes, including, infamously, that they could cure asthma. (They can’t.) So the rumors that smokers might be at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 seem similarly specious.
Oddly, such rumors seemed to be rooted in a grain of truth. (We’ll get to that later.) Still, Salon spoke with three experts, all of whom said the same thing: it is almost certain that smoking puts you at greater risk of dying from a coronavirus infection.
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Reposted from: Brinkwire
—Smokers and vapers who get COVID-19 are more likely to have complications, so this might be a good time to quit, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons says.
An early study from China looked at 78 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Researchers found those with a history of smoking had 14 times the risk of needing a higher level care, requiring a ventilator, and/or dying.
COVID-19 death rates in China are higher in men than in women, and higher smoking rates in men in that country may be a reason why.
“As COVID-19 is a virus that primarily attacks the lungs, anything that harms the lungs can weaken patients and result in more severe effects if people do become infected. It is well-known that smoking results in worse outcomes in people with pneumonia or influenza, and we are learning that smoking can pose significant risks in those with COVID-19,” thoracic surgeon Dr. Matthew Steliga wrote in a patient guide from the society.
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Reposted from: Los Angeles Times
Running low on surgical masks during the pandemic? You can get two for free by ordering a Moti Piin, a battery-powered vaping pen, from the company’s online shop.
Or buy sleek cartridges from Smok, another e-cigarette brand, and earn chances to win disposable gloves and up to 10,000 masks.
“COVID19 RELIEF EFFORT” blasts the ad of another online shop offering two-for-one e-liquid vials. Buyers at another shop get 19% off nicotine e-juices if they enter the code COVID-19.
As the global pandemic strains the world’s inventory of medical supplies, the tobacco and vaping industries are taking advantage of a unique opportunity, offering freebie protective gear, doorstep deliveries and festive pandemic-themed discounts. Some players have donated ventilators and mounted charity campaigns.
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