The World Health Organisation (WHO) notified that smoking can lead to a higher risk of severe illness and death from the coronavirus in hospitalized patients. However, the organization could not specify how high the risks are

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The UN health agency reviewed 34 published studies on the association between smoking and Covid-19 in a scientific brief published this week. This indcluded hospitalisation, the probability of infection, severity of disease and death. 

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In this review, WHO noted that 18% of the hospitalized coronavirus patients are smokers and that there appeared to be a significant link between whether these patient’s smoked and the severity of disease they suffered, the patient’s risk of dying and the type of hospital interventions required.    

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However, In April, French researchers released a study which suggested that smokers were at a lesser risk of catching Covid-19 and planned to test nicotine patches on patients and health workers. But that somehow did not work out.   

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WHO mentioned that smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other respiratory diseases.