The Union Health Ministry has issued an advisory to all tobacco users. As per the warning, tobacco users are more vulnerable to COVID-19. This because smoking increases possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth. This is revealed in a advisory titled ‘COVID-19 Pandemic and Tobacco Use in India’ released by the ministry.
As per the advisory, the use of tobacco products can increase severity of respiratory infections and make people susceptible to coronavirus. The ministry said experts have confirmed that smokers are more likely to develop severe symptoms or die from COVID-19, as it primarily attacks the lungs and warned against use of any such products.
Smokers, it warned, are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 as the act of smoking means that fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) are in contact with lips which increases the possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth.
Chewing tobacco products (khaini, gutkha, paan, zarda) increases the urge to spit. Spitting in public places increases health risks especially those of spreading the infectious and contagious diseases like, COVID-19, tuberculosis, swine flu, encephalitis, etc, the ministry underlined.
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