Smoking Makes You More Vulnerable To Getting COVID-19 – WHO

File photo: A TV grab taken from a video released by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attending a virtual news briefing on COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) from the WHO headquarters in Geneva on April 6, 2020. AFP

WHO (World Health Organization) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declares that a new coronavirus is Global Health Emergency during a news conference at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Jan. 30, 2020. AFP

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that smoking can increase ones chances of contracting the coronavirus.

In a tweet on its verified handle, the WHO on Wednesday also warned that experts have said smokers with COVID-19 are likely to have more serious conditions that could lead to death.

“Smoking damages your lungs and other parts of your body, and it makes you more vulnerable to #COVID19 infection,” the agency tweeted.

“It is the right time to quit smoking for a safer and better health.

“The tobacco industry is creating controversy & confusion about the risk of nicotine & tobacco product use and #COVID19.

“FACT: Health experts have warned that smokers with COVID-19 likely suffer more serious conditions that could lead to premature death.”

It claimed that “Tobacco lobbyists have tried to manipulate #COVID19 policy-making to get tobacco shops listed as ‘essential’ & offer free delivery of tobacco products to people in quarantine.

“Smokers likely face more severe symptoms if infected, leading to hospitalizations & premature deaths.”