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** 29 May 2020
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** UK
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** Interview: Smoking and COVID-19 (#1)
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** New advert is launched to help Sheffield smokers “quit for COVID-19” (#2)
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** Illicit tobacco seized from Darlington shop (#3)
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** Cumbria: Tobacco not the way to cope with lockdown stress, warns GP (#4)
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** International
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** WHO says more people are quitting smoking amidst COVID-19 pandemic (#5)
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** Thailand: Health minister honoured for tobacco control work (#6)
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** Links of the Week
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** COVID-19: PHE Advice for smokers and vapers (#7)
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** ASH report: Local authority stop smoking support response to COVID-19 (#8)
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** ASH’s Q&A webinar with NCSCT (#9)
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** UK
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** On May 27th, Hazel Cheeseman, Director of Policy at Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) was interviewed by touchRespiratory.com on the impact of COVID-19 on smokers, the services and resources that are available to help reduce this impact and the relationship between nicotine and COVID-19.

The interview was recorded and is now available to view online.

Source: Touch Medical Media, May 2020
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** See also: Quit for COVID FAQs ([link removed])
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Sheffield’s stop smoking service, Yorkshire Smokefree Sheffield has seen a 53% increase in the number of people getting in touch for support to quit since lockdown.
To encourage even more people to make a quit attempt, a new advert has been created to remind people about the significant health benefits of quitting smoking. The advert will be launched ahead of World No Tobacco Day on 31st May, and shown on the ITV Hub, Hallam FM and social media for six weeks.

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health in Sheffield, said: “Smoking is still the biggest killer in Sheffield and smoking cessation remains a public health priority. There is very clear evidence that quitting smoking rapidly reduces your risk of a range of life-threatening illnesses. Quitting smoking is the best thing any smoker can do to improve their health. This new advert is set to reach over 100,000 people in the city with this very important message and we hope it will encourage more people to reach out to our stop smoking service.”

Yorkshire Smokefree Sheffield has been raising awareness of the risks of smoking and COVID-19 through its support of the national #QuitForCovid campaign. The QuitforCOVID campaign was developed by a Bristol-based GP Dr Charlie Kenward and is being led by members of the Smokefree Action Coalition (SFAC) including Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

Source: The Star, 28 May 2020

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** See also: Today is the day ([link removed])
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** More than 200 packs of illegal cigarettes have been seized from a shop in Darlington. It follows a recent crackdown after a rise in the trade of illegal cigarettes in the town. Darlington's trading standards team, which has continued its work despite the lockdown, visited the store following a complaint from a member of the public about the alleged sale of cigarettes to school-aged children.

The visit ended in a warning about underage sales and the seizure of 249 packs of illegal cigarettes and 11 packs of hand-rolling tobacco.

Shaun Trevor, fair trading and financial investigations officer with Darlington trading standards, said who led the visit, said: “I hope that our actions will continue to highlight that intelligence which is passed onto us and other agencies will be acted upon. The way we conduct our work may have changed in light of COVID-19, but we are still conducting visits and taking action to ensure that the public is protected.”

The Council has teamed up with Durham Police and Durham Agency Against Crime in a poster campaign, which has led to an increase in complaints and information being passed to them.

Source: Darlington and Stockton Times, 28 May 2020


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** A South Cumbria GP has urged residents not to turn to smoking as a coping mechanism during the lockdown. This Sunday, 31st May, is World No Tobacco Day and medical professionals in south Cumbria have spoken about potential strategies to help people quit during the lockdown period.

Dr Geoff Jolliffe, clinical chair of Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group said: “There is no doubt that some people will be experiencing stress due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the effects of lockdown.

“Every year thousands of people in the UK die due to smoking, with many living with a debilitating smoking-related illness. Most of us know that smoking can cause lung cancer, but it is important to remember that smoking is related to 15 other cancers, including cancer of the throat, stomach, and liver.

“Evidence has shown that a person is more likely to give up smoking when they have the right support around them."

Local stop smoking services can provide expert support on quitting and details of local service can be found on the NHS Smokefree website.

Source: The Westmorland Gazette, 28 May 2020
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Read Article ([link removed])


** International
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** Hundreds of thousands of smokers are wanting to quit during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ruediger Krech, the World Health Organization's (WHO) director of Health Promotion.

During a virtual briefing on the World No Tobacco Day that will be celebrated on Sunday (31 May), Krech said: "We see hundreds of thousands of smokers wanting to quit during this crisis. There's a huge uptake of tobacco cessation programs and the demand to us to support people in quitting smoking."

When asked whether the Organization had any specific data on people who have quit smoking or plan to do it during the pandemic, Vinayak Prasad, a coordinator of WHO's No Tobacco Unit, said that there was a growing demand for tobacco cessation programs in several countries, including Mexico, Jordan, India, and China.

Earlier this month, the joint analysis of survey data by YouGov and the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) showed that over 300,000 people in the United Kingdom might have quit smoking during the coronavirus crisis due to health concerns, while further 550,000 smokers have tried to quit, and 2.4 million have cut down.

Source: Edge Prop, 29 May 2020

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** See also: ASH Press Release – Around 300,000 smokers have #QuitforCovid. Over half a million more have tried to quit and 2.4 million have cut down ([link removed])
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** Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has received a World No Tobacco Day Award 2020 from the World Health Organization (WHO) for implementing policies to control tobacco use in the country.

Thailand-based WHO representative Daniel Kertesz presented the award to Mr Anutin to mark the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May.

After receiving the award, Mr Anutin said: “The award results from the work and is the pride of the Public Health Ministry. It does not belong to an individual. The country opposes all forms of smoking. I am thankful to public health personnel and partners for their support for policies leading to the effective control of tobacco consumption that is internationally recognized. I would like about 10 million smokers to start to quit smoking for yourself and the people you love.”


Source: Pattaya Mail, 28 May 2020
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** Links of the Week
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Public Health England has published new guidance for people who smoke or vape during the coronavirus outbreak. This advice recommends that smokers quit to reduce potential risks from COVID-19, bring broader benefits to their health and help to reduce pressure on the NHS from other smoking related diseases.
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Read Guidance ([link removed])


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Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has published a report on how local authorities have reshaped their support for smokers in response to COVID-19.

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Read Report ([link removed])


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On Tuesday 26 May 2020, ASH hosted a webinar on the NCSCT’s new guidance with smoking cessation experts Louise Ross and Yvonne Hermon. The session covered audience questions on best practice in delivering remote smoking cessation support under COVID-19 social distancing conditions, drawing on the NCSCT’snew guidance for services. ([link removed])
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** The webinar was recorded and is now available to view online.
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View Webinar ([link removed])
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For more information call 020 7404 0242, email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or visit www.ash.org.uk

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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