As vaping is becoming more and more widespread amongst the youths of today's generation, research into how vaping affects users have become even more prevalent. That is why it comes as no surprise that people are beginning to associate vaping and Coronavirus in diverse debates and discussions. Based on the recent survey conducted by the CDC, one out of three American high school goers is expected to consume tobacco-related products within the space of thirty days. Essentially, E-cigarettes.
It turns out that many teens in our modern-day society are hooked on vaping. As the act itself has been infamously associated with respiratory diseases, it is only expected that the world will want to know the link between vaping and Coronavirus infection. Keep in mind that coronavirus infection is a respiratory illness that poses severe risks to everyone, particularly people with underlying respiratory diseases.
Source from https://www.pbs.org
Is there any relationship between vaping and Coronavirus infection?
New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, while speaking to the press on Monday, said, on the whole, coronavirus infection is more widespread among older people that it is amongst teens and young adults. However, one of the recent cases of Coronavirus infection in New York City involves a 22-year-old-man who has no underlying health conditions save for vaping. Although there is no conclusive evidence showing the 22-year-old's infection is as a result of his fondness for e-cigarettes, De Blasio and his team of experts cautions that vaping might have a lot to do with it. This begs the question. Is there a relationship between vaping and Coronavirus infection?
In recent times there has been a lot of discussions linking vaping and Coronavirus infection in the same sentence. But as it appears, most suggestions associating vaping and coronavirus infection are rumours yet to be proven. One such suggestion is a report proposing men are more susceptible to the infection than women, because of the higher prevalence of smoking amongst men. Though this suggestion lacks concrete evidence, it is backed by a study published by the Chinese medical journal. The study explores COVID-19-induced pneumonia in 78 patients to gain insight into the relationship between smoking and coronavirus infection. Among the 78 patients examined in the study, only 5 of them had a smoking history. Whereas the results show that there was disease progression in 3 of the 5 smokers examined for the study (which puts the odds ratio of disease progression due to smoking at 14.285), the considerable confidence interval (1.157 – 25.00), however, depicts uncertainty. In other words, this study does not provide substantial evidence to prove an actual relationship exists between vaping and coronavirus infection.
Interestingly, only 12.6% of the 1099 cases investigated in another study published by the New England Journal of Medicine to explore the relationship between vaping and Coronavirus, were current smokers. This number dwindles if you consider other factors. For instance, 99.1% of the patients examined were teens, and 58.1% were male. Keep in mind that tobacco consumption is highly prevalent among teens and men.
Therefore, it is only expected that Coronavirus should be more rampant in smokers if the suggestions linking vaping and coronavirus infection were true.
Source from http://www.ecigarette-research.org
No Conclusive Evidence Proves the Connection between Vaping and Coronavirus Infection
Despite Mayor de Blasio's belief that people who vape or use tobacco-related products are more at risk of contracting COVID-19 than people who don't, there is no conclusive evidence supporting these suggestions.
As it appears, there is no actual connection between vaping and Coronavirus, except for the fact that they both impact the respiratory system. According to experts, People who have underlying respiratory problems are more at risk of contracting the infection than people who have healthy lungs. In general, anything that can compromise your lungs can increase your susceptibility to COVID-19. Lenox hospital cardiologist, Dr. Tara Narula, while speaking on the CBS News on Tuesday, said vapers are liable to lung injuries which makes it difficult for them to deal with lungs-related challenges such as the COVID-19.
Whereas Dr. Narula's hypothesis cautions vapers to take the threat seriously, there is no direct evidence linking vaping and Coronavirus together, save for the study published by the Chinese medical journal.
Advice for All Vapers to Protect Themselves from Coronavirus
While we're waiting for conclusive evidences connecting vaping and Coronavirus, it‘s advised that vapers take the threat seriously and protect themselves against the risks of coronavirus infection. Take care of your health and protect others by doing the following advice:
1. Wash your hands as frequently as you can;
2. Wear masks if possible and available, especially when you're in the public place;
3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth;
4. Maintain social distancing;
5. If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care promptly;
6. Stay at home if you begin to feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache and slight runny nose, until you recover;
7. Focus on news and info relevant to Coronavirus.
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