Of all the people who contracted corona in the state, 25% are smokers. This means nearly 50,000 out of two lakh Covid patients in the state are smokers.
“Smokers are more prone to coronavirus, as it damages vital organs and systems of human body. Most affected are lungs. In smokers, lung function is already impaired, which makes it more difficult for the body to fight off coronavirus,” Gandhi Medical College pulmonary head Dr Lokendra Dave said.
According to Dr Dave, smoking involves contact of fingers with lips and sharing of smoking products, which facilitates transmission of virus. “So, even those who smoke sparingly are at risk of contracting Covid-19. Of all corona patients, 20% to 25% are smokers,” he added.
Not only infection but even recoveries get delayed due to damaged lungs. Cigarette smoking and Covid-19 are a deadly combination. In smokers, the lung related problems coupled with Covid-19, may result in serious health outcome including fatality.
Therefore, it’s important for people to keep lungs healthy in order to avoid worst effects of pandemic. For smokers, quitting smoking is an important part of this effort. By doing this, risk of life-threatening health problems reduces drastically.