Researchers from the Epidemiology Department, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia, carried out a study that found no correlations between an adult male and female smoking prevalence with Covid-19 mortality.

The study, published in the journal medRxiv, stated that there is, however, a link between adult male smoking prevalence with Covid-19 related deaths in lower-middle-income countries.

Notably, the study observed that each percentage point increase in how often adult males smoked caused a case fatality ratio (CFR) of Covid-19 increase by 0.08 per cent.

Earlier studies have suggested that smoking increased the risk of severe symptoms and mortality by two-fold compared to those who did not smoke.

For the study, the team collected data from over 75 countries to conduct a correlation study.

The study findings showed no correlations between adult male or female smoking prevalence with death related to Covid-19. However, they also found that adult smokers in lower-middle-income countries were at a higher risk of COVID-19 mortality.

“Based on these findings, strengthening tobacco control policies and assisting smokers to successfully and permanently quit are needed to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in low-middle-income countries,” the team recommended.

Related Topics