COVID-19 and smoking

Posted on: 6/12/20

As our state continues to work to reduce the pandemic’s toll, it’s important to consider the co-morbidities that are putting our citizens into a high-risk category for severe illness from the coronavirus. Growing evidence is showing the influence smoking has on COVID-19. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study identifying people who smoke as 2.4 times more likely to have severe symptoms from COVID-19 compared to those who did not. Smoking increases someone’s vulnerability to infection with the continuous hand-to-mouth motion and reduces their immune systems ability to fight respiratory infections. In addition, we know that secondhand smoke worsens lung health for nonsmokers, including children.

So far, public health messaging for COVID-19 has been around disease prevention such as covering one’s mouth when coughing, reduced hand-to-hand contact, social distancing and hand washing. Meanwhile, the role of smoking and its exacerbation of COVID-19 has received little attention in comparison. OHA’s health improvement initiatives team, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), strongly recommends adding quitting smoking to this list of public health messaging around COVID-19. This is a teachable moment and smokers are more likely to be receptive to stop smoking advice.

For smokers, being told to quit at this time may feel daunting, but there are proven methods to help them stop smoking. Evidence shows that smokers who use a combination of cessation medication and behavioral support have the best chances of success. Oklahomans can receive these benefits for free from the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline.

As we continue to confront the coronavirus, it is more important than ever for smokers to quit and for youth to stop using all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to protect themselves, their families, and potentially reduce the strain on our health systems. (Kelly Willingham)