A recent study completed by Stanford University found teens and young adults that vape and smoke cigarettes are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than an individual who does not, while only vaping increases the risk by five times. The researchers do not know how the chances of contracting the illness are increased; vaping and smoking may affect the respiratory or immune systems, or it may be due to the tendency to share devices in social settings. As the pandemic progresses there has been a rise in the number of younger individuals being diagnosed, which has concerned public health officials. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the proportion of young people being diagnosed with COVID-19 has skyrocketed, with the percentage of cases among those aged 15-24 tripling from 4.5 percent in February to 15 percent in July. The authors of the paper hope the results of the study raise awareness towards the young vapers’ vulnerability to COVID-19 and inform regulators of the potential harm of vaping products. An assistant professor (not involved in the study) in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at John Hopkins University, Ana Maria Rule, says “I don’t think anybody will be shocked at the results. I think people will say we saw this coming.” She says this due to the known fact that both COVID-19 and electronic cigarettes affect the lungs. The results may not be surprising, but Rule says this could be a sign that “[vaping] actually could have short term health effects.” The efforts of this study were to get the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control access of e-cigarettes, as well as promote the link of COVID-19 and vaping in the adolescent community.
Study Reveals Teens and Young Adults Who Vape, Are at a Higher Risk of COVID-19
