Smokers Are More Likely To Die From Coronavirus

Portland, Ore. – If you smoke – tobacco, marijuana, or vape – you’re more likely to die or suffer serious complications from coronavirus. Covid-19 attacks the respiratory system, which can already be damaged from smoking. In case you’ve been struggling with quitting, wanting to quit, or needed a new reason to quit smoking: Coronavirus is it. It’s raising new health concerns in many young smokers, who’ve probably never before considered the consequences of smoking.  Jonathan Modie from the Oregon Health Authority points out, there’s other concerns about smoking and coronavirus too. Touching possibly contaminated finger tips or cigarette butts to your mouth can cause you to catch it. Using things like Hookahs or water pipes that get passed around can also spread the virus in community settings. It may be really tough right now under all this stress, but now is best time to quit smoking. There are many resources available to help you quit smoking.   1-800-Quit-Now is the state’s quit smoking line where you can chat online with an expert. Smoking alternatives may help you protect your respiratory system too, like nicotine patches, nicotine gum. For legal adult marijuana users, maybe consider edibles, rub-ons or other ways where you don’t smoke it.

Listen to Jacob Dean’s interview with Jonathan Modie here:

Read more from the CDC: 

COVID-19 is a new disease and there is limited information regarding risk factors for severe disease. Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Based on what we know now, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:

• People aged 65 years and older
• People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility

People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:

• People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
• People who have serious heart conditions
• People who are immunocompromised
  • Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications
• People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher)
• People with diabetes
• People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
• People with liver disease