Most of the people in the world might have not seen a pandemic like COVID-19 in their lifetime. This virus has affected people’s normal life in many ways and distanced the most social species in the plant. I am pretty sure majority of the people understand the seriousness of the virus as it has taken more than 24000 lives (Grandparents, parents, spouse, brothers, sisters and children) around the world and left close to 500,000 people infected. (Hope it stops here)
The WHO and local governments have instructed to take precaution like cleaning hands with soap and alcohol wipes, Social distancing etc. Also there is lot of things on the internet that says what to do during these tough times.
In this blog I want to talk about the habit #1 thing that should not be done during this COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and even after that, “SMOKING”. Given that many countries are in lock down and many employees and students are at home, I want to pass on the message that Smoking is not an option and create awareness about the harms it’s causing you and your loved ones based on Facts and Numbers
The Facts:
Q&A section on coronaviruses (COVID-19) from the WHO website about what people should not be doing, (snippet below)
Is there anything I should not do?
The following measures ARE NOT effective against COVID-2019 and can be harmful:
- Smoking
Below are the snippets I have taken from the Fact sheet for SMOKING AND OVERALL HEALTH from Center for Disease Control and Prevention, US.
Smoking and Immune System:
Smoking harms the immune system and can make the body less successful at fighting disease. The immune system is the body’s way of protecting itself from infection and disease; it works to fight everything from cold and flu viruses to serious conditions such as cancer.
Chemicals and Disease:
Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemical compounds. Many of them can interfere with the immune system. Diseases are able to progress when the immune system is not working effectively. Diseases that can be worsened by smoking include:
Viral and bacterial infections, especially of the lungs (for example, pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis);
The first deaths of Covid-19 Virus as mentioned in BBC News below:
The first two patients to die at Wuhan, China were seemingly healthy although they were long term smokers and this might have weakened their lungs.
First Patient is a 61-year old man had severe pneumonia and died after 11 days as he developed acute respiratory distress and his lungs failed finally.
The second patient, a 69-year-old man, also had acute respiratory distress syndrome and had severe pneumonia as well.
It’s interesting to see that there is a direct relationship between the effects of smoking as mentioned in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the cause of death in Covid-19 victims.
The Data:
US- based on 2018 data from the CDC about 10% (34 million) US adults smoke cigarettes and 18% (58 million) nonsmoking Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke.
India- based on 2018 WHO fact sheet about 11% of people smoke (29 % use tobacco in some form causes similar issues) and 39% of adults and 22% of youth are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Canada- based on 2017 data from University of Waterloo 15.1 % of people smoke. (Didn’t get the numbers for second hand smoke but definitely will be more than the no. of people smoking)
All these people who might be in their homes due to city, state, nationwide lockdowns when they smoke in their homes are causing serious issues not only to them but also to their loved ones unknowingly.
My Rants:
When you feel for the need to smoke go for a brisk walk (within your home if you cannot go outside)
Talk to your loved ones they will lighten your mood
Talk to your old friends who are also in their homes and joke about the embarrassing things you did during your childhood
If you plan to stop only when a doctor says there will be trouble when you smoke the next time, don’t wait for that, stop now.
Resources:
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/about/osh/index.htm
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272672/wntd_2018_india_fs.pdf?sequence=1
CSK Rants 