Health ministry warns tobacco use accelerates virus transmission

Smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to the new coronavirus as smoking increases the possibility of transmission of the virus from hand to mouth, the Union Health Ministry has said. Use of tobacco products can increase the severity of respiratory infections and make people susceptible to Covid-19, the ministry warned in a new document.

In the report, experts confirm that smokers are more likely to develop severe symptoms or die from Covid-19, as it primarily attacks the lungs.

'Further smoking products such as water pipes or hookah often involve the sharing of mouth-pieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of Covid-19 in communal and social settings,' the ministry said.