April 6, 2020 – The American Lung Association is suggesting now could be the perfect time to quit smoking.
Mark Courtney, manager of the Illinois Tobacco Quitline, said the nature of the COVID-19 virus makes lung health extremely important.
“Anybody that’s changed their furnace filter and seen the gunk on it sees how well our lungs clean that [stuff] out,” Courtney said. “We’re breathing the same air that’s going through the furnace filter, but we’re able to take care of it because of this amazing mechanism. Anytime you’re exposed to things like tobacco smoke or vaping, it can cause irritation and interrupt that very important process of keeping our lungs cleaned out.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smokers that are diagnosed with the coronavirus are susceptible to a more serious infection. And no matter how long you’ve been smoking, Courtney said it’s not too late to act.
“Even people that have moderate to severe lung disease, they benefit from quitting,” Courtney said. “Somebody who’s not been diagnosed with the lung disease, it can take a while for the lungs to recover, but they will recover.”
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found people who smoke were 2.4 times more likely to have the most serious symptoms associated with the coronavirus.
“Even if you’re not sure that this is going to be something you want to do long-term, the benefits short-term are there and then you can decide later on,” Courtney said. “It may take several months to get completely fixed. But it all starts with day one without a cigarette.”
Courtney said circumstances might make this a tough fight, but help is available.
“A lot of people, when they have idle time, that’s when they reach for a cigarette,” Courtney said. “And now we’re all confined to our home. Some of us have a lot of idle time.”
For information, call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 866-QUIT-YES or go to lung.org/covid19.
“We’re definitely telling people to use one of our resources,” Courtney said. “Use our online Freedom from Smoking program. You’ve got a lot of time. Why not just call us and find out what we have to offer and find out if we can help?”
