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A man who repeatedly left his quarantine hotel room to smoke a cigarette when his wife had tested positive for COVID -19 has been fined £7,000. He was ordered to isolate in a room at the Leonardo Hotel near Heathrow Airport with his wife and children after they flew from Pakistan to the UK.
But police were called on April 23 last year by hotel staff, who accused him of refusing to stay in the room so that he could go outside and smoke. The Met Police said the man from Slough knew the rules about leaving his room and complained that hotel staff were refusing to accompany him on a smoking break due to his wife’s positive test result.
He did not enter a plea and was convicted of a breach of the Covid travel rules when Pakistan was on the UK’s “red” list. He was issued a fine of £7,000 plus £290 in costs and fees at a behind-closed-doors court hearing on January 5.
Source: Evening Standard, 28 January 2022
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Drinking within the NHS guidelines of 14 units of alcohol per week may still increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study suggests.
The study involved looking at 333,259 people aged 40 to 69 who drank alcohol and hospital admissions related to cardiovascular events and cerebrovascular disease. The cardiovascular events included heart attack, heart failure, and heart muscle disease for the study. Over seven years, participants were asked about their overall weekly alcohol intake and how much they enjoyed specific drinks, including beer, wine and spirits.
The data revealed that for those consuming fewer than 14 units of alcohol per week, every additional 1.5 pints of beer at 4% strength was linked with a 23% increased risk of suffering a cardiovascular event.
Dr Rudolph Schutte, the study lead, said: “Among drinkers of beer, cider and spirits in particular, even those consuming under 14 units a week had an increased risk of ending up in hospital through a cardiovascular event involving the heart or the blood vessels. While we hear much about wine drinkers having a lower risk of coronary artery disease, our data shows their risk of other cardiovascular events is not reduced.”
Dr Schutte added that the suggestion of health benefits “from low to moderate alcohol consumption is the biggest myth since we were told smoking was good for us.” He suggested that the guidelines of 14 units each week be reduced. “My hope is it will be like smoking, with health warnings,” he said.
Source: The Independent, 28 January 2022
See also: Clinical Nutrition Journal: Alcohol – The myth of cardiovascular protection
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NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian have partnered to re-launch the Don’t Wait campaign, including a huge package of free support services.
Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable disease and premature death in Scotland. This joint campaign between Scotland’s three largest health boards focuses on the harms smoking can cause and the free NHS stop smoking services available to support residents who are ready to stub out the addiction.
The campaign features NHS respiratory consultant, Dr Colin Church, emphasising it is never too late to see the benefits that come from quitting smoking. Dr Church said: “Stopping smoking is one of the most important things that you can do to keep yourself healthy and reduce the chances of getting diseases such as coronary artery disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The health benefits from stopping smoking start almost as soon as you stop. I would urge anyone who smokes and is thinking about stopping to contact the NHS Stop Smoking Services - Quit Your Way to find out about the support available in their local area.”
Source: Daily Record, 28 January 2022
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Marlboro-maker Altria said on Thursday (27 January) that its heat-not-burn product, iQOS, probably won’t be back in US stores for at least a year, while sales of its traditional cigarettes continued to slide.
The Richmond, Virginia-based company updated investors on iQOS after being forced to pull it from the US market late last year due to a patent dispute. The product, marketed as a less-harmful alternative to combustible cigarettes, is a tiny share of Altria’s revenue but the key to its 10-year plan to switch its business away from traditional tobacco products.
The company was forced to halt its rollout campaign for iQOS after US officials ruled that its technology infringed on two patents owned by competitor R.J. Reynolds. The Biden administration has declined to intervene in the decision from US International Trade Commission.
Altria, which runs Philip Morris USA, said Thursday it “does not expect to have access to IQOS devices” in 2022 but “remains focused on returning iQOS to the market and is working on re-entry plans.” Altria has a contract to sell the device exclusively in the US through mid-2024.
Source: Daily Mail, 27 January 2022
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The House of Representatives on Wednesday (26 January) ratified the bicameral conference committee report on a bill that would regulate the importation, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use, and communication of vaporised nicotine and non-nicotine products, as well as novel tobacco products.
House Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said the measure aims to offer an alternative for Filipinos who want to quit smoking. With the bill's enactment into law, posts, messages, or images by manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers that encourage the purchase and use of vape products would be prohibited.
The bill mandates the Department of Health (DOH) to prescribe guidelines on implementing smoking and vaping restriction awareness campaigns. Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would consult with the Food and Drug Administration in setting technical standards for the safety, consistency, and quality of vape products.
Manufacturers, distributors, importers, and sellers would then be given an 18-month transitory period from the issuance of the implementing rules and regulations to comply with the measure's requirements. This would include the registration of the vape products with the DTI. The bill provides protection to minors from accessing vape products by setting the minimum allowable age for the purchase, sale, and use of such products from 21 to 18.
Source: Canadian Inquirer, 26 January 2022
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The Smoking Toolkit study has published the latest findings and key performance indicators (KPIs) for smoking trends. Cigarette smoking prevalence is now 14.7%. Cigarette smoking prevalence in 18-21 year olds is 19.8% compared to 21.4% in 2020.
Source: Smoking in England
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Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Cancer Research UK have published a new report that revealed that more than three-quarters (76%) of local authorities were providing some form of dedicated specialist service for smokers last year, compared to 69% in 2019.
Key findings reveal:
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Two-thirds of surveyed local authorities (67%) commissioned a universal specialist stop 3 smoking service in 2021, up from 62% in 2020.
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A further 9% commissioned a restricted specialist service, 15% commissioned a lifestyle service, and 7% commissioned service in primary care only.
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Two local authorities (1%) commissioned a telephone helpline only, and two (1%) had no service.
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Local authorities with a specialist service were least likely to report negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic (25% did so). In contrast, those who relied on primary care support were most likely to report negative impacts (88% did so).
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Face-to-face support had been restored in most stop smoking services (of all types) by August 2021:
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83% of local authority stop smoking services were offering face-to-face advice
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98% were offering telephone advice
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60% were offering online advice by video conference
Source: ASH
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