A survey by YouGov and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) reports that more than 300,000 smokers in the UK may have quit as evidence suggests smoking makes people more vulnerable to COVID-19.  A further 550,000 have tried to quit, while 2.4 million have cut down.

Dr Nick Hopkinson, the chairman of ASH and respiratory specialist at Imperial College London, said: “Smoking harms the immune system and our ability to fight off infections. Evidence is growing that smoking is associated with worse outcomes in those admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Quitting smoking also rapidly reduces people’s risk of other health problems such as heart attacks and strokes. Those are bad whenever they happen, so preventing them is an end in itself and is especially important at a time like now when everyone is keen to stay out of hospital.”