The updated government guidance to smokers and vapers, available at GOV.UK, says that people who smoke generally have an increased risk of contracting respiratory infection and of more severe symptoms once infected.
Smoking also involves repetitive hand to face movements, which increase the risk of viruses entering the body and, as a result, Covid-19 symptoms may be more severe in people who smoke.
Stopping smoking will bring immediate benefits to your health, including if you have an existing smoking-related disease. This is particularly important for both you and for health services at a time of intense pressure on the NHS.
The guidance says that e-cigarettes can be an effective aid to stopping smoking and staying smokefree and, for most people, vaping remains significantly less harmful than smoking.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “Smoking damages your lungs and weakens your immune system. This makes it more likely that you will have complications if you get sick and that it will take you longer to recover.
“Smokers are also much more likely to get other health problems. So the best thing a smoker can do is to quit, to protect themselves, to protect others and to reduce the impact on health services.
“If you want to quit, there's plenty of information to help you including support from the NHS and stop smoking aids on the council’s website at Wolverhampton Information Network."
The #QuitforCovid campaign launched earlier this year, and encourages people to join the conversation, share their own story of quitting and hear from other people how they are getting on with their quit attempts via social media using the hashtag #QuitforCovid.
The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at GOV.UK and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at Coronavirus advice and information. There’s lots of advice on how people can protect themselves and their families from coronavirus from the NHS.
The council’s Stay Safe, Be Kind campaign offers clear and simple advice about how people can help themselves, and how they can support others who may be particularly vulnerable at this time. For more information, please visit Stay Safe, Be Kind.
