Smokers have increased risk of severe sickness from Covid

Editor:

The ongoing Covid pandemic has shed new light on infectious disease and underlying health conditions.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention explains individuals who currently smoke, or who have a history of smoking, and those dealing with underlying health conditions have an increased risk of developing severe outcomes from Covid.

Covid impacts many of the same organs of the body that smoking does, including negatively effecting the lungs and weakening the immune system.

The dangers of tobacco use are well-established, killing more than 22,000 New Yorkers every year. In New York State, 650,000 adults live with underlying health conditions and or chronic illness.

According to Health Day News, if you vape and catch Covid, you may feel a whole lot worse than people who come down with the virus but don’t use electronic cigarettes. This study also found higher rates of labored breathing and more emergency department visits when they contracted Covid.

If you are a smoker, and would like information on quitting, please talk to your healthcare provider. If you are a healthcare organization in need of evidence-based assistance with helping your patients quit, please contact Health Systems for a Tobacco Free Western New York at (716) 845-8246.

Shannon Waddell

Tobacco Control Specialist

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Buffalo