Smokers are more susceptible to Covid-19 and have more severe illness

This is the reason why this year, 2021, WHO chose the theme “Commit to Quit Tobacco” for World No Tobacco Day (May 31). Through this theme, WHO calls on countries to increase the implementation of cessation services.cigarette, encourage smokers to access smoking cessation services.

Harmful effects of tobacco

Smoking is very harmful to health. Illustration photo

Suckcigarettevery harmful to health, toxic substances in cigarette smoke affect almost every organ in the body, these harmful effects not only occur to the user but also cause significant harm to those around.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 substances, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar. Hundreds of these are harmful to health, 69 of which are carcinogenic, including addictive substances and toxic substances, including ammonia (cleaning product), amethyst (ant killer), and formaldehyde (embalming solution). No substance in cigarettes is safe.

The link between tobacco and Covid-19

Covid-19 is an infectious disease that mainly attacks the lungs, smoking weakens lung function, making it difficult for the body to fight Covid-19. This is the reason why smokers are at higher risk of getting sick than non-smokers and people who are not regularly exposed to cigarette smoke.

Smoking as well as passive smoking (people who directly inhale cigarette smoke) aggravates underlying diseases, which puts people with Covid-19 at a higher risk of death.

A study by The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco surveyed 11,000 Covid-19 patients and found that about 30% of patients with a history of smoking developed severe to critical illness, nearly twice as high as the rate of patients who did not smoke.

Smokers are more vulnerable to Covid-19. Illustration photo

Another study published by researchers at the University of California found that one-third of young people aged 18 to 25 are at risk of developing severe Covid-19 symptoms. And smoking is one of the main culprits.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that people with smoking habits are a vulnerable group during the Covid-19 pandemic, along with people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.

WHO also noted that the act of putting your fingers in your mouth while smoking increases the risk of transmitting Covid-19 from your hands to your mouth. Sharing smoking utensils, such as tobacco, pipes, and pipes among smokers, is also a cause of increased Covid-19 transmission in the community. Recent studies have shown a link between tobacco and Covid-19.

With the serious harm that cigarettes bring to human health, it is necessary for each smoker to commit to quitting smoking right now.

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