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Smoking does increase the risk of getting coronavirus, according to a major British study that disputes some evidence that smoking is protective. Researchers at Imperial College London led by Dr Nick Hopkinson, and Kings College London looked at 2.4million Britons, of whom 11% reported to be current smokers.
All participants were users of the COVID Symptom Study app, which asks people to regularly self-report their health and if they have symptoms of the coronavirus, helping to build a clearer picture of the UK's outbreak.Growing evidence had suggested smokers are at less risk of COVID-19 but are more likely to get severely sick if they contract it.
Findings from the study suggest that current smokers were 14% more likely to develop common COVID-19 symptoms, such as a persistent cough, shortness of breath, and fever than non-smokers. Further, current smokers were 29% more likely to have more than five symptoms, and 50% more likely to have more than 10 symptoms.
Smoking prevalence was 2% among participants who had been tested. The researchers suggested this was because healthcare workers are more likely to get tested, but also less likely to be smokers. There were fewer smokers in the group who tested positive than negative (7.4% vs 9.3% respectively). However, current smokers who tested positive were more than twice as likely to need to attend hospital due to COVID-19. This risk only dropped marginally when pre-existing health conditions were considered.
The authors concluded: “Our results provide compelling evidence for an association between current smoking and individual risk from COVID-19, including symptom burden and risk of attending hospital.”
Source: Mail Online, 21 May 2020
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UK researchers say tobacco companies have used the phase out period for menthol cigarettes to develop new products such as menthol filters and ‘flavour cards’ that circumvent the ban which came into effect on 20th May 2020. A menthol flavour can also be added to cigarettes by putting a capsule, or ‘crushball’ – into the filter, which the researchers say is popular among young people.
A loophole in the legislation means these accessories can be promoted to customers near the cash till in shops in England and Wales after the menthol ban. Tobacco companies have created new websites and sponsorships in ways that undermine the intended public health benefit of the ban, says the researchers.
Two tobacco companies have also introduced cigarette-like ‘cigarillos’ – small, narrow cigars with a flavour capsule. Although cigarillos currently have a small market share of UK tobacco sales, this share will grow partly because they are subject to lower taxes than cigarettes and are mostly exempt from plain packaging legislation.
Professor Anna Gilmore, director of the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) at the University of Bath, which conducted the study, said that: “the way tobacco companies are using the ban on menthol cigarettes to promote new menthol tobacco products, which are heated rather than burned, undermines the very purpose of this ban.”
“It also flies in the face of tobacco company claims that they wish to reduce the harm from smoking. They realise the menthol ban will trigger smokers to quit – instead, they seek to move the smokers onto new tobacco products which independent evidence indicates are as dangerous as smoking and from which they make even more profit.”
Dr Rosemary Hiscock, a lead author of the study said: “Our findings suggest the tobacco industry was driving sales of menthol cigarettes right up to the ban – a product whose serious health implications had led to the ban in the first place… We recommend loopholes in legislation be closed as soon as possible to prevent tobacco companies from undermining the intended public health impacts of the legislation. This includes preventing the display of tobacco accessories and extending the menthol band to all tobacco products, including cigarillos and heated tobacco products.”
One in six menthol smokers said they will quit after the menthol ban, which could reduce overall UK cigarette sales by 3%, TCRG said.
Source: Daily Mail, 18 May 2020
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An Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) spokesperson quoting the legislation, said the ban means: “No person may produce or supply a cigarette or hand rolling tobacco with a filter, paper, package, capsule or other component containing flavourings; a filter, paper or capsule containing tobacco or nicotine; or a technical feature allowing the consumer to modify the smell, taste, or smoke intensity of the product.”
Metro News interviewed some menthol smokers to see what their plans are now, and whether the ban will have a positive impact on their smoking status and health.
George, 25, said: “I have actually given up smoking since coming back home during lockdown, which is great since I can’t actually smoke non-menthol cigarettes, so would have been forced to give up anyway.”
Sean, 28, said: “I will probably try to smoke less because I cannot smoke normal fags…”
Loughlan, 22, said: “Honestly, I have spent lockdown at my mum’s where smoking is just not an option, so I’ve been vaping for the past eight weeks … After the ban I’ll probably try the menthol cigarillos I’ve seen people talk about. Finding it hard to imagine being in the smoking area and having someone ask me to tap a menthol cigarillo.”
Source: Metro News, 20 May 2020
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Retailers will no longer be able to buy tobacco through any legal channels unless they have an Economic Operator Identifier Code (EOID) unique to their business and Facility Identifier Codes (FIC) for each of their stores as of Wednesday 20th May.
The codes are part of the tobacco track and trace system introduced under the revised EU Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU). This also requires packs of cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco to be marked, making packs easier to identify and trace. The system was introduced on 20th May 2019 and the legislation provided for a 12-month sell-through period for unmarked packets of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
A spokesman for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said: “From 20 May 2020, all packets of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco sold in the UK must be marked in accordance with the legislative requirements. The track and trace system are an important step in our efforts to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products and there are no plans to change these requirements. Any business involved in the trade of tobacco products must obtain an EOID from the UK ID Issuer De La Rue, and FIDs for any location where tobacco products are sold from, stored or manufactured.”
James Bielby, the chief executive of Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) said: “The systems are now in place and the message from HMRC is unambiguous: while they will work with wholesalers and retailers who are having technical difficulties, they will also start to use the penalties available for deliberate non-compliance, which we welcome. It’s vital that tobacco retailers apply for and receive their EOID before attempting to make purchases from our members’ tobacco rooms.”
Source: Convenience Store, 18 May 2020
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Blackburn with Darwen Council: quit smoking to combat coronavirus
Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Damian Talbot, executive member for health and wellbeing, believes the coronavirus lockdown is a good time to urge smokers to quit. He has backed a call by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) for people to ‘Quit for COVID’.
Cllr Talbot's intervention follows a new YouGov survey showed that 8% of England’s smokers have tried to give up because of coronavirus. He said that in Blackburn with Darwen, 80 people accessed local stop smoking services intending to quit during March and April. During the same period, another 50 people have successfully stopped smoking for four weeks.
Cllr Talbot said: "Smoking is harmful to our immune system and our ability to fight off infections and smokers with coronavirus do seem to be at a greater risk of severe symptoms and complications. So, now is the perfect time to ‘Quit for COVID’.
"There is help and support available locally through pharmacies that will give people a good chance of breaking away from their addictions and starting to feel the health and financial benefits of becoming smokefree.”
Source: Lancashire Telegraph, 21 May 2020
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Yesterday, Thursday 21 May 2020, the USHER Institute hosted a webinar on COVID-19 and Tobacco: Integrating communicable and non-communicable disease responses.
The webinar was recorded and is now available to view online.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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