Smokers face twice the risk of Covid complications - the overweight also at risk

[webfact]

Picture: Facebook "Mor Wen"

 

Facebook doctors' site "Mhor Wen" highlighted Sunday one of the largely forgotten problems faced by people who contract Covid-19.

 

They said that smokers were twice as likely as non-smokers to face complications and possible death from the virus. 

 

Smokers have 2-3% of unusable black spots on their lungs and this increases to 4-6% when infected by Covid severely limiting lung capacity. 

 

Smoking therefore represents a serious risk factor.

 

The site noted that studies in China after the first wave of the pandemic indicated more men than women had the disease seriously - this can possibly be put down to there being more male than female smokers there. 

 

They said that smokers may look healthy on the outside but inside their lungs were in a bad way - even young people who are smokers could find themselves quickly in ICU after admission for Covid. 

 

Smoking as well as obesity were high risk factors along with those who have heart conditions, respiratory illnesses and diabetes, they noted.

 

Meanwhile Thai media Sanook concentrated on the obese who they said made up a great many serious cases after Covid infection.

 

They quoted leading doctors as confirming that overweight people are much less able to fight the illness and are more susceptible to complications.

 

In addition they reported that the army recruitment drive has now been put back two months because of the surge in Covid this month in Thailand.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-04-26

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[RichardColeman]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

Smoking as well as obesity were high risk factors along with those who have heart conditions, respiratory illnesses and diabetes, they noted.

Took them a year to come up with that conclusion ? Just a year after the rest of the planet ? 

[Berkshire]

6 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Took them a year to come up with that conclusion ? Just a year after the rest of the planet ? 

Don't think they just "came up with that conclusion," but rather, reminding people in the high-risk category. 

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Smoking therefore represents a serious risk factor.

 

This is interesting and noteworthy for a few reasons.

 

One of which being that It bucks a known trend, in New York last year they were wondering why there was an under representation of smokers in the ICU patients....it was notable because even though there were a laughably low number of patients for a 'pandemic' in the SARS 2003 outbreak it was widely reported that smokers were also considerably under represented amongst the serious cases and deaths......

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by ukrules

[Samui Bodoh]

 

Ten Twelve Reasons to Quit Smoking (in no special order)

 

1. You won't smell anymore. Apologies, but there is no polite way to put it; smokers stink. They smell. They reek. Their breath smells like an ashtray. Their clothes are foul and gross. They leave a putrid miasma in every room they occupy.
2. You will regain your sense of smell and taste. It is truly an amazing thing; I lived and/or visited Thailand for more than 25 years, but after I quit smoking, Thai food became twice as good. Seriously, twice as good!
3. You won't look like a dried-up lizard. Smoking makes your face/skin look old; quitting smoking means putting 'lizard-ness' off for a decade or two.
4. If you quit smoking, you don't have to listen to people like me, your spouse, your kids, your friends and complete strangers telling how smoking is bad for you. Wouldn't it be nice if we all shut up? If you didn't have to hear us?
5. It is easier to pull/keep chicks. Simply put, it is easier to pull and/or keep a hot chick as a non-smoker rather than as a smoker. Nuff' said.
6. You won't get sick as often. Yes, I know, perhaps smoking helps with c-19 and perhaps it doesn't. But, a non-smoker will catch fewer flus, colds, infections, etc. than a smoker; it is a scientific fact.
7. You won't hurt those around you. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and damages the health of many, many, many more; don't you want to stop hurting your wife? Your kids? Your friends? Your neighbours? Strangers on the road?
8. You'll have more breath. Smokers; when was the last time you climbed three flights of stairs without panting or wheezing? Without some shortness of breath? Without stopping for a sec to catch your breath at the top?
9. Money. Cigarettes are expensive and you get nothing (literally nothing) for your money. One example; by quitting when I did, I saved approximately 190,000 Baht. What would you do with an extra 190,000 Baht? Whooo-Hoooo!
10. Impotence. It is a medical fact that smoking reduces the lead in your pencil. Further, it is also medical fact that the more you smoke, the more the lead in your pencil is reduced. Simple question; what's better? Smoking or sex? If you chose sex (and you really should have), then it is time to quit.

 

And a bonus #11; you won't be an addict anymore. Being an addict, whether it is Nicotine, Yaba, Alcohol, Opioids, Meth, Heroin, Crack, or anything else, diminishes a person.

 

If you quit smoking, you'll be a better person to be around, your sensations and pleasures will improve, your health and appearance will be better, you'll do better with the girls, you'll have stamina again, you'll save huge amounts of money, and your sex life will improve.

 

If you keep smoking, your stink will drive people away, you won't enjoy food and drink as much, your health will decline, you will become 'Lizard-like', hot girls will laugh at you and throw rocks, you'll be awful in the sack, you'll be poorer and no woman will want you.

 

And now number 12: It makes Covid-19 worse and you are more likely to die.

 

Does anyone really need number 13?

 

Seriously?

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

When I was a smoker ( quit 1983 ) my lung capacity was 3.5 litres. After that, it increased to 6 litres with exercise.

Assuming coronavirus reduces lung capacity by 50%, an infected smoker is not getting much oxygen with only 2 litres available.

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

Ten Twelve Reasons to Quit Smoking (in no special order)

 

1. You won't smell anymore. Apologies, but there is no polite way to put it; smokers stink. They smell. They reek. Their breath smells like an ashtray. Their clothes are foul and gross. They leave a putrid miasma in every room they occupy.
2. You will regain your sense of smell and taste. It is truly an amazing thing; I lived and/or visited Thailand for more than 25 years, but after I quit smoking, Thai food became twice as good. Seriously, twice as good!
3. You won't look like a dried-up lizard. Smoking makes your face/skin look old; quitting smoking means putting 'lizard-ness' off for a decade or two.
4. If you quit smoking, you don't have to listen to people like me, your spouse, your kids, your friends and complete strangers telling how smoking is bad for you. Wouldn't it be nice if we all shut up? If you didn't have to hear us?
5. It is easier to pull/keep chicks. Simply put, it is easier to pull and/or keep a hot chick as a non-smoker rather than as a smoker. Nuff' said.
6. You won't get sick as often. Yes, I know, perhaps smoking helps with c-19 and perhaps it doesn't. But, a non-smoker will catch fewer flus, colds, infections, etc. than a smoker; it is a scientific fact.
7. You won't hurt those around you. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and damages the health of many, many, many more; don't you want to stop hurting your wife? Your kids? Your friends? Your neighbours? Strangers on the road?
8. You'll have more breath. Smokers; when was the last time you climbed three flights of stairs without panting or wheezing? Without some shortness of breath? Without stopping for a sec to catch your breath at the top?
9. Money. Cigarettes are expensive and you get nothing (literally nothing) for your money. One example; by quitting when I did, I saved approximately 190,000 Baht. What would you do with an extra 190,000 Baht? Whooo-Hoooo!
10. Impotence. It is a medical fact that smoking reduces the lead in your pencil. Further, it is also medical fact that the more you smoke, the more the lead in your pencil is reduced. Simple question; what's better? Smoking or sex? If you chose sex (and you really should have), then it is time to quit.

 

And a bonus #11; you won't be an addict anymore. Being an addict, whether it is Nicotine, Yaba, Alcohol, Opioids, Meth, Heroin, Crack, or anything else, diminishes a person.

 

If you quit smoking, you'll be a better person to be around, your sensations and pleasures will improve, your health and appearance will be better, you'll do better with the girls, you'll have stamina again, you'll save huge amounts of money, and your sex life will improve.

 

If you keep smoking, your stink will drive people away, you won't enjoy food and drink as much, your health will decline, you will become 'Lizard-like', hot girls will laugh at you and throw rocks, you'll be awful in the sack, you'll be poorer and no woman will want you.

 

And now number 12: It makes Covid-19 worse and you are more likely to die.

 

Does anyone really need number 13?

 

Seriously?

 

 

 

 nothing worse than a reformed smoker

[oldies1]

54 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

 nothing worse than a reformed smoker

That's also my experience ...

[Disparate Dan]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

overweight people are much less able to fight the illness and are more susceptible to complications.

so they padlock my gym so I can't take the exercise that was helping me to reduce weight and increase my resistance. Thanks for nothing.

[connda]

Smokers face twice the risk of Covid complications - the overweight also at risk

That's a no-brainer and bodes not well for people living in Northern Thailand who essentially have the same damage as smoking cigarettes just by breathing the 2.5 PM Worst Air In The World four months out of the year. 
If you have ever read epidemiological data on respiratory illnesses in Northern Thailand the facts are absolutely abysmal and the respiratory stats are some of the worst in Thailand - then add old age and Covid and you have a recipe for respirators and death.

[connda]

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

 nothing worse than a reformed smoker

Hey.  If you smoke?  Feel free to kill yourself with your addiction. 

This cr*p killed my parents, my aunt, and my step-mom's mother - all heavy smokers until they got "the diagnosis."  It's not a good way to check out.  If you're addicted and suicidal.  Suck 'em up.  It's your own business.

[connda]

13 minutes ago, Disparate Dan said:

so they padlock my gym so I can't take the exercise that was helping me to reduce weight and increase my resistance. Thanks for nothing.

Walking and calisthenics.  They closed the gym I go to also.  It hasn't stopped me from exercising.

Edited April 26, 2021 by connda

[pacovl46]

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

 nothing worse than a reformed smoker

That’s definitely true, speaking from my own experience! After I quit I just couldn’t stand the smell of cigarettes anymore! When I was a kid we always got together at my grandmother’s place on Christmas and Easter and most of the male adults used to smoke back then. You could actually see the smoke wading through the room after awhile and it never bothered me then. Today I’d die! There’s no way I could be in a room filled with smoke. But I’m not on a crusade anymore either! ????

[Disparate Dan]

7 minutes ago, connda said:

Walking and calisthenics.  They closed the gym I go to also.  It hasn't stopped me from exercising.

I know fine well how to get round it. My point was that it's terminally [deleted] stupid policy.

[Lacessit]

13 minutes ago, connda said:

Walking and calisthenics.  They closed the gym I go to also.  It hasn't stopped me from exercising.

Plenty of exercise videos on YouTube.

[Caldera]

Okay, smokers had a year to quit and fatties had a year to shed weight since the pandemic started. I wonder how many did something about it.

[adammike]

2 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Okay, smokers had a year to quit and fatties had a year to shed weight since the pandemic started. I wonder how many did something about it.

When I wrote on a Thai based forum that guys should stop smoking and lose weight a year ago,I was shot down and had the p**s extracted.

[connda]

1 hour ago, Disparate Dan said:

I know fine well how to get round it. My point was that it's terminally [deleted] stupid policy.

You're preaching to the choir.  I'm in 100% agreement.  It's as stupid as those countries who forced their citizens to stay inside instead of in the fresh air and sunshine.  Government policy wonks are terminally brain dead globally.  These people don't have two functioning brain-cells to rub together.

[Nojohndoe]

5 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

Ten Twelve Reasons to Quit Smoking (in no special order)

 

1. You won't smell anymore. Apologies, but there is no polite way to put it; smokers stink. They smell. They reek. Their breath smells like an ashtray. Their clothes are foul and gross. They leave a putrid miasma in every room they occupy.
2. You will regain your sense of smell and taste. It is truly an amazing thing; I lived and/or visited Thailand for more than 25 years, but after I quit smoking, Thai food became twice as good. Seriously, twice as good!
3. You won't look like a dried-up lizard. Smoking makes your face/skin look old; quitting smoking means putting 'lizard-ness' off for a decade or two.
4. If you quit smoking, you don't have to listen to people like me, your spouse, your kids, your friends and complete strangers telling how smoking is bad for you. Wouldn't it be nice if we all shut up? If you didn't have to hear us?
5. It is easier to pull/keep chicks. Simply put, it is easier to pull and/or keep a hot chick as a non-smoker rather than as a smoker. Nuff' said.
6. You won't get sick as often. Yes, I know, perhaps smoking helps with c-19 and perhaps it doesn't. But, a non-smoker will catch fewer flus, colds, infections, etc. than a smoker; it is a scientific fact.
7. You won't hurt those around you. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and damages the health of many, many, many more; don't you want to stop hurting your wife? Your kids? Your friends? Your neighbours? Strangers on the road?
8. You'll have more breath. Smokers; when was the last time you climbed three flights of stairs without panting or wheezing? Without some shortness of breath? Without stopping for a sec to catch your breath at the top?
9. Money. Cigarettes are expensive and you get nothing (literally nothing) for your money. One example; by quitting when I did, I saved approximately 190,000 Baht. What would you do with an extra 190,000 Baht? Whooo-Hoooo!
10. Impotence. It is a medical fact that smoking reduces the lead in your pencil. Further, it is also medical fact that the more you smoke, the more the lead in your pencil is reduced. Simple question; what's better? Smoking or sex? If you chose sex (and you really should have), then it is time to quit.

 

And a bonus #11; you won't be an addict anymore. Being an addict, whether it is Nicotine, Yaba, Alcohol, Opioids, Meth, Heroin, Crack, or anything else, diminishes a person.

 

If you quit smoking, you'll be a better person to be around, your sensations and pleasures will improve, your health and appearance will be better, you'll do better with the girls, you'll have stamina again, you'll save huge amounts of money, and your sex life will improve.

 

If you keep smoking, your stink will drive people away, you won't enjoy food and drink as much, your health will decline, you will become 'Lizard-like', hot girls will laugh at you and throw rocks, you'll be awful in the sack, you'll be poorer and no woman will want you.

 

And now number 12: It makes Covid-19 worse and you are more likely to die.

 

Does anyone really need number 13?

 

Seriously?

 

 

 

Bring on number 13 !

 

[BostonRob2]

5 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

 nothing worse than a reformed smoker

Oh yes there is. A smoker.

[Wongkitlo]

8 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

Ten Twelve Reasons to Quit Smoking (in no special order)

 

1. You won't smell anymore. Apologies, but there is no polite way to put it; smokers stink. They smell. They reek. Their breath smells like an ashtray. Their clothes are foul and gross. They leave a putrid miasma in every room they occupy.
2. You will regain your sense of smell and taste. It is truly an amazing thing; I lived and/or visited Thailand for more than 25 years, but after I quit smoking, Thai food became twice as good. Seriously, twice as good!
3. You won't look like a dried-up lizard. Smoking makes your face/skin look old; quitting smoking means putting 'lizard-ness' off for a decade or two.
4. If you quit smoking, you don't have to listen to people like me, your spouse, your kids, your friends and complete strangers telling how smoking is bad for you. Wouldn't it be nice if we all shut up? If you didn't have to hear us?
5. It is easier to pull/keep chicks. Simply put, it is easier to pull and/or keep a hot chick as a non-smoker rather than as a smoker. Nuff' said.
6. You won't get sick as often. Yes, I know, perhaps smoking helps with c-19 and perhaps it doesn't. But, a non-smoker will catch fewer flus, colds, infections, etc. than a smoker; it is a scientific fact.
7. You won't hurt those around you. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and damages the health of many, many, many more; don't you want to stop hurting your wife? Your kids? Your friends? Your neighbours? Strangers on the road?
8. You'll have more breath. Smokers; when was the last time you climbed three flights of stairs without panting or wheezing? Without some shortness of breath? Without stopping for a sec to catch your breath at the top?
9. Money. Cigarettes are expensive and you get nothing (literally nothing) for your money. One example; by quitting when I did, I saved approximately 190,000 Baht. What would you do with an extra 190,000 Baht? Whooo-Hoooo!
10. Impotence. It is a medical fact that smoking reduces the lead in your pencil. Further, it is also medical fact that the more you smoke, the more the lead in your pencil is reduced. Simple question; what's better? Smoking or sex? If you chose sex (and you really should have), then it is time to quit.

 

And a bonus #11; you won't be an addict anymore. Being an addict, whether it is Nicotine, Yaba, Alcohol, Opioids, Meth, Heroin, Crack, or anything else, diminishes a person.

 

If you quit smoking, you'll be a better person to be around, your sensations and pleasures will improve, your health and appearance will be better, you'll do better with the girls, you'll have stamina again, you'll save huge amounts of money, and your sex life will improve.

 

If you keep smoking, your stink will drive people away, you won't enjoy food and drink as much, your health will decline, you will become 'Lizard-like', hot girls will laugh at you and throw rocks, you'll be awful in the sack, you'll be poorer and no woman will want you.

 

And now number 12: It makes Covid-19 worse and you are more likely to die.

 

Does anyone really need number 13?

 

Seriously?

 

 

 

I gave up 6 years ago. It took me a long time to give up and I think non smokers underestimate the power of nicotine as an addictive drug.. I know I can not have any more cigarettes but still love them.. I smell someone smoking near me and  can't  get enough of the smell. If I am with a girl who smokes I tell her to have a cigarette as I love the taste of  kissing someone who smokes. I agree with all you say except number 1.

[cdemundo]

6 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

That’s definitely true, speaking from my own experience! After I quit I just couldn’t stand the smell of cigarettes anymore! When I was a kid we always got together at my grandmother’s place on Christmas and Easter and most of the male adults used to smoke back then. You could actually see the smoke wading through the room after awhile and it never bothered me then. Today I’d die! There’s no way I could be in a room filled with smoke. But I’m not on a crusade anymore either! ????

I have never smoked but used to go out to bars and restaurants and not notice the smoke until I went home and smelled it on my clothes.

Now I smell somebody smoking outdoors and across the street.  I'm not sure why that is.

[Soikhaonoiken]

Yes I think most people are aware that smoking /being over weight is no good for your health, and you can become more ill if you catch Covid, but.. but.. If you have the vaccine this also help to avoid being serious ill with CoVid, so instead of preaching about smoking, get vaccinating 

(p. s. I am an ex smoker) 

[Misterwhisper]

16 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

 nothing worse than a reformed smoker

Agreed. It's the same overly elaborate and annoying lecture you have to endure from...

 

- a reformed vegetarian

- a reformed vegan

- a reformed alcoholic

- a reformed feminist

- a recent convert from one religion to another

- a former couch potato-turned-sports fanatic

- a PETA activist who berates you because you're wearing leather shoes

- a mother-in-law who constantly reminds you how inadequate you are as a husband to her oh so precious princess daughter 

 

While he certainly is correct with many of the points he makes (and few smokers would deny that), it's the accusing finger pointing that is so bothersome. 

[Rookiescot]

Could be many reasons more men than women get covid complications.

Probably something to do with womens immune system being better than mens.

[Neeranam]

I knew these hot knives and water bongs would come back to haunt me. 

[pacovl46]

17 hours ago, cdemundo said:

I have never smoked but used to go out to bars and restaurants and not notice the smoke until I went home and smelled it on my clothes.

Now I smell somebody smoking outdoors and across the street.  I'm not sure why that is.

Because you became aware of it or maybe because it bothers you now for health reasons maybe and it didn’t before. 

[ukrules]

I'm going to leave this link here : https://retractionwatch.com/2021/04/21/journal-retracts-paper-suggesting-smoking-is-linked-to-lower-covid-19-risk/

 

The research paper was pulled due to tobacco industry links - the above page is all about why this was wrong and links to the original research which suggests current smokers are 23% less likely to be infected with COVID than non smokers.

 

This is a very controversial area of research and people appear to be doing anything they can to cover it up and debunk it.

 

Regardless of the so called conflicts of interest the facts remain the same....

[Bday Prang]

Well there must be a reason why people started smoking originally, thousands of years ago or whenever it was. Maybe it did indeed offer some protection from some other respiratory diseases. Only a narrow minded anti smoking zealot would discount the possibility, or be adverse to further research. A little like the people who have denied millions of people the medical benefits of cannabis for so long.

       I wonder what the reaction from the "experts" would be if it was actually proved that smoking tobacco or even worse cannabis was highly effective in avoiding covid , do you think they would tell us?

        Somehow I doubt it 

[Bday Prang]

On 4/26/2021 at 9:05 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

 

Ten Twelve Reasons to Quit Smoking (in no special order)

 

1. You won't smell anymore. Apologies, but there is no polite way to put it; smokers stink. They smell. They reek. Their breath smells like an ashtray. Their clothes are foul and gross. They leave a putrid miasma in every room they occupy.
2. You will regain your sense of smell and taste. It is truly an amazing thing; I lived and/or visited Thailand for more than 25 years, but after I quit smoking, Thai food became twice as good. Seriously, twice as good!
3. You won't look like a dried-up lizard. Smoking makes your face/skin look old; quitting smoking means putting 'lizard-ness' off for a decade or two.
4. If you quit smoking, you don't have to listen to people like me, your spouse, your kids, your friends and complete strangers telling how smoking is bad for you. Wouldn't it be nice if we all shut up? If you didn't have to hear us?
5. It is easier to pull/keep chicks. Simply put, it is easier to pull and/or keep a hot chick as a non-smoker rather than as a smoker. Nuff' said.
6. You won't get sick as often. Yes, I know, perhaps smoking helps with c-19 and perhaps it doesn't. But, a non-smoker will catch fewer flus, colds, infections, etc. than a smoker; it is a scientific fact.
7. You won't hurt those around you. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and damages the health of many, many, many more; don't you want to stop hurting your wife? Your kids? Your friends? Your neighbours? Strangers on the road?
8. You'll have more breath. Smokers; when was the last time you climbed three flights of stairs without panting or wheezing? Without some shortness of breath? Without stopping for a sec to catch your breath at the top?
9. Money. Cigarettes are expensive and you get nothing (literally nothing) for your money. One example; by quitting when I did, I saved approximately 190,000 Baht. What would you do with an extra 190,000 Baht? Whooo-Hoooo!
10. Impotence. It is a medical fact that smoking reduces the lead in your pencil. Further, it is also medical fact that the more you smoke, the more the lead in your pencil is reduced. Simple question; what's better? Smoking or sex? If you chose sex (and you really should have), then it is time to quit.

 

And a bonus #11; you won't be an addict anymore. Being an addict, whether it is Nicotine, Yaba, Alcohol, Opioids, Meth, Heroin, Crack, or anything else, diminishes a person.

 

If you quit smoking, you'll be a better person to be around, your sensations and pleasures will improve, your health and appearance will be better, you'll do better with the girls, you'll have stamina again, you'll save huge amounts of money, and your sex life will improve.

 

If you keep smoking, your stink will drive people away, you won't enjoy food and drink as much, your health will decline, you will become 'Lizard-like', hot girls will laugh at you and throw rocks, you'll be awful in the sack, you'll be poorer and no woman will want you.

 

And now number 12: It makes Covid-19 worse and you are more likely to die.

 

Does anyone really need number 13?

 

Seriously?

 

 

 

1, non-smokers can also stink its not unique to smokers

2, so you got fat

3, I don't look like a lizard 

4,  I don't have to listen but yes it would be nice

5, rubbish plenty of smokers have hot chicks

6, can't remember when i was last ill, that's a scientific fact

7, Rubbish how can anybody put a figure on it , and endangering neighbours and strangers on the street , for gods sake man

8, seen plenty of non smokers struggling with stairs  for your information Rodger Bannister was on 40/day when he did 4min mile 

9, plenty of things are expensive should we stop doing everything?

10, No complaints so-far  I'll be sixty soon 

11 , Have you ever tried Crack, Opiates, or Meth if not shut up

12, Apparently not

13, ok bring it on

 

oh and if you stop preaching you might be a nicer person to be around too, I'm sure there are plenty of women left gasping by your superior sexual prowess, is that how you spend all that money you have saved?  its also rather addictive don't you think. You will end up poorer and no woman will want you either, could be  few nasty diseases to be caught along the way too.

instead of giving that 13 th reason that you think we shouldnt need.  why not give us one reason why you can't just carry on with your whoring, and leave other people to do as they wish