Vapouround Magazine Issue 32 | Page 79

“ COVID-19 has created a drastic change in daily life , including increased stress and anxiety ”
Most of us will surely have picked up some less-than-positive behaviours during the pandemic . Endless Uber Eats , drunken midweek Zoom get-togethers and a cancelled gym membership will all have had a devastating impact on our health that will take more than the occasional dip into the fruit bowl to undo .
The US vaping market has been hit hard by increased taxes , flavour bans and confusion about the relative risks of smoking and vaping .
Conflicting stories about the impact of smoking , vaping and nicotine in general on COVID-19 have no doubt added to the uncertainty .
But the rise in tobacco sales could be more devastating yet , and it ’ s been a long time coming .
A 2020 Euromonitor survey found that 73 percent of Americans believed vaping to be as harmful as smoking or worse . This comes after a three-year youth vaping epidemic narrative , largely pinned on JUUL which continues to be dogged by claims of targeting its products at teens and enticing them with flavours . JUUL vehemently denies both claims .
Since May last year , a number of studies have shown that smokers are less likely to develop COVID-19 . But experts agree that smokers often suffer much more severe symptoms than non-smokers .
A recent study by Kings College London ( KCL ) found that smoking doubles the risk of developing severe coronavirus and needing hospitalisation .
Marlboro-maker Altria has a 35 percent share of JUUL , snapped up at the vape giant ’ s 2018 peak , as well as a number of other interests outside of traditional tobacco products , including nicotine patches and its flagship IQOS heat-not-burn device .
But Altria ’ s initial $ 12.8 billion investment is now worth just $ 1.6 billion , reflecting a rapidly diminishing trust among the public over the safety of vaping , as well as reduced access to JUUL ’ s once-varied flavour line-up .
While Altria ’ s tobacco sales increased by less than one percent , any increase is alarming in the midst of a virus that can have such a devastating effect on the respiratory system .
The effects of the coronavirus can linger for months , with some individuals suffering from fatigue and breathlessness long after a positive diagnosis .
They were also 14 percent more likely to suffer the three main COVID-19 symptoms : persistent cough , fever and shortness of breath .
Much of the current research focuses on the smoking behaviours of hospitalised patients rather than vaping .
However , Public Health England ( PHE ) maintains that nicotine consumers would likely be much better off continuing to vape than reverting back to tobacco during the pandemic .
Public Health England guidance states : “ There is very little evidence on vaping and COVID-19 and it is unknown whether vaping makes you more susceptible to severe disease if you become infected . If it does , the risk is likely to be much less than if you smoke .”
In one Dutch case reported in the Journal of Emergency Medicine , both lungs of a 38-year-old woman collapsed more than a month after her first symptoms . The researchers cannot be certain that COVID-19 was the cause , but she presented with no other risk factors .
“ COVID-19 has created a drastic change in daily life , including increased stress and anxiety ”
VM32 75