The study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, looked at a group of 4,351 study subjects ranging from 13 to 24 years old. What the researchers found was that patients who smoked e-cigarettes were five times more likely to develop coronavirus than those who abstained. But among individuals who had smoked both e-cigarettes and tobacco-based cigarettes in the past 30 days, the risk of developing coronavirus was 6.8 times higher than that of non-smokers. “Young people may believe their age protects them from contracting the virus or that they will not experience symptoms of COVID-19, but the data show this isn’t true among those who vape,” the study’s lead author, postdoctoral scholar Shivani Mathur Gaiha, PhD, said in a statement. “This study tells us pretty clearly that youth who are using vapes or are dual-using [e-cigarettes and cigarettes] are at elevated risk, and it’s not just a small increase in risk; it’s a big one.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. So, what is it about smoking that makes a person’s risk of developing COVID skyrocket? The study’s researchers noted that the nicotine and other chemicals in vape cartridges and tobacco cigarettes have been shown to reduce lung function, making smokers more susceptible to respiratory illnesses like COVID. Additionally, both e-cigarettes and tobacco-based ones require smokers to repeatedly move their hands to their mouths, potentially allowing for contaminated respiratory droplets to enter their system. However, there was another surprising trend among smokers, according to the study: They were more likely to get tested for the virus, too. While vapers and cigarette smokers were 3.3 and 3.9 times more likely to get tested than non-smokers, respectively, subjects who had used both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes in the past 30 days were nine times more likely to get a COVID test. And if you want to protect yourself, avoid these 24 Things You’re Doing Every Day That Put You at COVID Risk.
