Recent results from the National Health Interview Survey for 2016 to 2018 indicate young adults who smoke have a greater risk of catching the Covid-19 virus. Almost one third of American young adults can be affected, with smoking being the greatest risk factor according to the study.
Researchers studied data from more than 8,000 participants, ages 18 to 25, including looking at their medical conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed factors that make people of any age more susceptible to the coronavirus.
Thirty-two percent of those studied were found to be vulnerable to severe COVID-19. But only 16%, the non-smokers, were considered vulnerable to the disease.
"Efforts to reduce smoking and e-cigarette use among young adults would likely reduce their medical vulnerability to severe illness," the researchers said in the study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. (https://bit.ly/32mZ9S2)