Smoking & COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to progress, questions are arising about the relationship between smoking and the virus, particularly if continuing to smoke makes you more likely to get COVID-19.

Are people who smoke at more risk from COVID-19?

Yes, if you smoke and get the COVID-19 virus, you increase your risk of developing more severe COVID-19 symptoms. Smoking reduces the lungs’ immune response to infection as a result COVID-19 attacks the lungs.

What happens to your lungs when you smoke?

Human lungs are delicate organs. When you smoke, you are inhaling a number of chemicals and particulates into your lungs. Smoking is associated with an inflammatory process in the lining of the lungs, the place where COVID-19 causes its most serious damage.

Is it possible to spread coronavirus by smoking?

Yes, when someone is smoking they are repeatedly putting their hands to their mouths and faces. If the virus is on their hands, smoking can increase the chance and it will find its way into the person’s system. The risk can also be increased if the tobacco items are shared.

Should someone quit smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic?

COVID-19 and smoking is a deadly combination. Research shows when compared to nonsmokers, smokers infected with COVID-19 are twice as likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit, need to be kept on ventilation or it may even lead to death. Your lungs work better when you stop smoking. Smoking compromises lung function.

Is it possible to spread the coronavirus through secondhand smoke?

When people are smoking they are also exhaling particulates from deep within their lungs into the environment around them and when they share their living space with anyone else, they are also being exposed to whatever is being exhaled.

Quitting smoking is hard, during stressful times. What can someone do?

Everyone is more anxious and stressed with what’s going on, but smoking isn’t the actual support that we need. Many people think that smoking helps to reduce stress and is calming, but it actually puts more stress on the body. Nicotine is an addictive neurotoxin that makes the heart work harder. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms make you feel more anxious. There are better ways to calm you. Meet up your friends, do meditation and deep breathing exercises. Consult a smoking cessation counsellor who is ready to help you quit smoking.

Dr Yugaveer Goud K
MBBS, MD, FCCP
Consultant Interventional Pulmonologist
OMNI Hospitals, Kukatpally