A recent study by the Mayo Clinic, involving nearly 70,000 patients, has dismissed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) claims that vaping could increase the risk of contracting COVID-19. The study titled “Electronic Cigarette Use Is Not Associated with COVID-19 Diagnosis” concluded that e-cigarettes “do not appear to increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

Many trusted media sources have given the Mayo Clinic study credit, including Forbes, which has headlined “No, Vaping Doesn’t Make You More Susceptible To Coronavirus.”

Nicotine May Act As a Protective Factor Against the Virus

Contrary to the WHO claims, a number of studies have indicated that nicotine may actually act as a protective factor against contracting the virus. According to one study conducted in a French university hospital, the daily smokers’ rate amongst COVID-19 patients was at only 5.3%, while within the general French population, the rate of daily smokers was 25.4%. These findings led to the conclusion that daily smokers have a significantly lower probability of developing symptomatic or a severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, when compared to the general population.

Similarly, renowned anti-smoking researcher Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos and two colleagues analyzed data coming out of China, where it was widely speculated that higher hospitalization and death rates among Chinese men was due to gender differences in smoking rates. However, Farsalinos found that there were significantly fewer smokers among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Another review of Chinese data published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine concluded that “active smoking does not apparently seem to be significantly associated with enhanced risk of progressing towards severe disease in COVID-19.” Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have also shown that smokers represented just 1.3% of COVID-19 cases analyzed, while America’s adult smoking rate stands at 13.7%.

The evidence suggests that smokers and vapers are not at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. In fact, nicotine consumption may even act as a protective factor. This highlights the need for accurate information and further research, rather than relying on unfounded claims and misinformation.

Sources

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21501327211024391#:~:text=Patients%20who%20used%20only%20e,001)
https://www.vapingpost.com/2020/06/03/who-uses-world-no-tobacco-day-to-attack-vaping/
https://www.vapingpost.com/2021/02/19/who-urged-to-stop-spreading-misinformation-about-vaping-and-covid-19-risks/
https://www.vapingpost.com/2020/05/05/is-smoking-a-protective-factor-against-covid-19/
https://www.ejinme.com/article/S0953-6205(20)30110-2/pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6913e2.htm#contribAff