The dangers of Covid among smokers
This week, please allow me to talk about the effects of Coronavirus disease (Covid) among smokers. This week’s column should serve as an eye opener especially to those who still smoke tobacco or cigarettes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smokers are likely to suffer from severe Covid symptoms compared to non-smokers.
Experts say that smokers are twice likely to be hospitalized due to Covid compared to non-smokers.
It is a known fact that smoking causes several health issues like heart disease, cancer, lung problem like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which makes your blood more sticky leading to heart attack or stroke.
These health conditions are considered a comorbidity. People with comorbidities are more likely to have severe Covid symptoms or even die due to the disease.
It is important to emphasize that smoking can impair the immune system of our lungs, making these more susceptible to respiratory pathogen.
For now, we don’t know whether smokers compared to non smokers are more likely to catch Covid.
But we know, for sure, that smokers are likely to have worse Covid symptoms than non smokers.
There was a scientific paper claiming that smoking decreases your chance of catching Covid, but the scientific paper was later on retracted because it was found out that the authors have a tie-up with a tobacco manufacturer.
The most affordable and one of the best ways to boost your immune system during this pandemic is to quit smoking.