American Heart Association News: Why Lighting Up and COVID-19 Don't Mix
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Smoking has been identified as a risk factor for severe COVID-19-related disease and death by both the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why Lighting Up and COVID-19 Don't Mix
TUESDAY, May 5, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- As evidence continues to grow that people who smoke are at greater risk of dying from COVID-19, health professionals are turning to a familiar message with new urgency: There may be no better time to quit than today.
While researchers gather more data as the virus spreads, both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified smoking as a risk factor for severe coronavirus-related disease and death.
Studies from Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus emerged in December, showed smokers were 1.4 times more likely to display severe COVID-19 symptoms and 2.4 times more likely to be sent to an intensive care unit, require mechanical ventilation or die, compared to non-smokers.