WHO: Smoking Can Increase Risk of COVID-19
By: Team Ifairer | Posted: 28-03-2020
Heart It
Vaping may leave users with underlying health conditions at higher risk of serious complications if they contract the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration said. The informative note prepared by WHO on COVID-19 and NCDs says that smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to the virus as the act of smoking increases the possibility of transmission of the virus from hand to mouth.
Smokers may also already have lung disease or reduced lung capacity which would greatly increase risk of serious illness. Smoking products such as water pipes often involve the sharing of mouth pieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of COVID-19 in communal and social settings. Conditions that increases oxygen needs or reduces the ability of the body to use it properly will put patients at higher risk of the consequences of bilateral viral pneumonia. The World Health Organization says in its FAQs that smoking is one thing people should not do during the coronavirus outbreak. Since the lungs and respiratory tract in smokers are already compromised to various extents, they are more prone to be severely infected by SARS CoV-2 which primary attacks the respiratory system in human beings, and in severe cases leads to symptoms such in difficulty in breathing.