Covid-19, also known as coronavirus, is fastly spreading and bringing economic chaos and deaths worldwide. This contagious virus is also damaging the vaping reputation and the vape business itself. As the virus spreads, also do the lies and misconceptions. The purpose of this post is looking into those statements you may have heard on the internet.
1# Vaping increases the risk of developing pneumonia if you get the virus
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) people that are at special risk, are those with lung and heart disease, cancer, weak inmune systems, or diabetes. In recent weeks, I have also read articles linking tobacco smoking to more serious complications from Covid-19, even if you are still young and have no pre-existing conditions.
Some doctors are even speculating vaping is making young adults more susceptible to develop pneumonia if infected with coronavirus. This speculation is based on the fact that people who smoke cigarretes have impaired cilia systems -tiny hairs that protect lungs from infections.
While there is a posibility that this might be true, there is no evidence to state that e-liquid can damage the cilia system. According to an article published on March 9 by doctor Farsalinos, “we have zero evidence on how e-cigarrete use affects coronavirus infectivity and disease progression.” Farsalinos adds in this article that “smokers switching to e-cigarretes would definitely have better prognosis (compared to continious smoking) if smoking is found to increase infectivity and disease serverity.”
News linking vaping and severe coronavirus effects were spread by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio said that “we do know that smoking and vaping makes it easier for the disease to have more negative impact on a person’s body. It’s not a pre-existing condition, but it’s an important factor in the equation as well.”
2 # PG in e-liquid protects you from Covid-19
On the other hand, supporters of vaping often state that propylene glycol in e-liquid prevents illness in vapers. You have possibly seen some posts about this topic on vaping forums and social media.
This common belief amongst vapers comes from a study done after World War II that shows the potential of PG as a desinfecting agent. “We cannot exclude the possibility that the use of PG might have some benefitial effects,” says doctor Farsalinos in this regard. However, the effect of propylene glycol on coronavirus in particular has been never tested. Therefore, we cannot rely on its effectiviness to destroy this virus.
3 # Exhaled vapor can pass on Coronavirus
Let’s say that you are infected with coronavirus, but you just don’t know it yet -or you are asymtomatic. Can your exhaled vapor transmit coronavirus to others?
According to a study carried out by the New England Journal of Medicine on March 17, coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can survive in the air for several hours in fine particles. Thus, aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 seems “plausible,” the authors wrote.
This news made some people think that the aerosol exhaled when vaping could transmit coronavirus. However, “there is currently no evidence that coronavirus can be caught from exposure to e-cigarette vapour.” said Director of Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs at Public Health England, Rosanna O’Connor.
Conclusion and Tips
Any big statements linking either positive or negatives effects of vaping if infected with coronavirus has not yet been proven by science. So, in my opinion, you must take any information you read on the internet about this topic with a pinch of salt. Nonetheless, and based on the scientific information previously exposed, I would give the following recommendations:
- If you are currently vaping, don’t go back to cigarretes after hearing scary news. Anti-vaping people will take any chance to create a negative impact on vaping. If you never vaped before, then don’t start. There is no evidence to think it can protect yourself from coronavirus.
- Please make sure there are no people around you when vaping. Although we are not sure if exhaled vapor can transmit coronavirus, it’s better to keep a good distance from others when puffing your vape. Better safe than sorry!
- Desinfect the surface of your mod and clean your drip tip with alcohol pads. This is strongly advised if you need to leave home during the quarentine and you’ve been touching other objects.
- Needless to say but… Don’t share your vape gear with any other person until the pandemic is under control.
Alfonso Melero
Content creator and marketer. Originally from Spain, I lived a few years in Scotland and China where I started to work for the vaping industry. Vaping is not only a profession for me but also a passion. I quit smoking thanks to vaping almost 3 years ago. I helped many smokers to switch to vaping since as I am convinced vaping is a much healhier alternative to tobbaco smoking.
