Scores of studies have found fewer smokers among hospital cases than in the general population
A growing body of scientific evidence suggests smokers are less at risk of contracting Covid-19 than those who do not regularly ingest nicotine. But the case for cigarettes as a defence against the disease has so far gained little traction in SA.
Other researchers have subsequently reported similar findings. The study of Covid-19 cases in a Paris hospital, finalised two weeks ago, suggested that smokers are 78% less likely to “have an adverse outcome” from the disease. Another recent meta-analysis found that smokers are 82% less likely to be hospitalised with Covid-19 in the first place.
It is one of only three countries in the world to outlaw all trade in nicotine products in an effort to combat the disease . The thinking behind the ban has, however, been poorly explained. The minister who is reputed to have personally driven the ban, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has made only one statement on the issue, in which she implied that the main problem in the context of the pandemic was the possible sharing of mouth fluids in the case of shared and hand-rolled cigarettes.
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