This information is for people who:
currently smoke or used to smoke
Know the
relationship between
smoking
and COVID-19
COVID-19 spreads fast. In some people it can start with mild symptoms and quickly progress to more severe disease.
What is COVID-19?
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If you are infected with the virus, you will most likely experience mild to moderate respiratory illness.1
Most people can expect to get better without needing special treatment, but some people can become very sick and require medical attention.1
Are you at increased risk?
3 in 5 (60%)
adults in the United States
have a chronic disease2
The older you are, the greater the chance of having at least one medical condition that can put you at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.3
The likelihood of having one or more such medical conditions increases by3:
10%
for people up to and including age 25 years
33%
for people up to and including age 50 years
66%
for people up to and including age 70 years
You are more likely to develop serious illness from COVID-19 if you have a condition or risk factor like4:
Age
50 years or older
Age
Immunocompromised condition
Weakened
immune system
Immunocompromised condition
Cancer
Current or past
Cancer
Lung disease
Such as asthma
(moderate
to severe)
Lung disease
Overweight or obese
Body Mass Index
(BMI) >25
Overweight or obese
Racial and ethnic disparities
Demographics and health equity
Racial and ethnic disparities
Heart conditions
Heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies
Heart conditions
Diabetes
Type 1 or Type 2
Diabetes
This list does not include all possible conditions.
If you have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or cancer and you get COVID-19, you are more likely to4-8:
Get very sick
Be hospitalized
Need a machine to help you breathe
Need intensive care
Die
The number of high-risk medical conditions you have increases your risk of death from COVID-194,7:
Number of high-risk
medical conditions7
Risk of death7
0
1x
1
1.5x
2-5
2.6x
6-10
3.3x
10+
3.8x
the risk of death
COVID-19 and
smoking
If you are a current or former smoker, you are at high risk of getting very sick and having complications from COVID-19.4,7
If you currently smoke
now or used to smoke,
your risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 is
1.5x
higher than for a person with no smoking history.7
Smoking is associated with9:
Weakening of the
immune system
Lung
inflammation
Increased risk of
pulmonary infection
Smoking is associated with many other
high-risk factors for COVID-19, including4,7,9:
Asthma
Coronary artery disease
Possibly hypertension
Cancer
Diabetes mellitus
Type 2
Stroke or
cerebrovascular disease
Chronic lung disease,
including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Heart failure
Tuberculosis
Smoking is the primary cause of COPD, which is associated with 2x the risk of COVID-19–related death when compared with those without COPD10
The CDC considers smoking and being a former smoker as high-risk factors for the progression to severe COVID-19, and recommends that current smokers quit and former smokers refrain from starting again4
Talk to your doctor if you have questions about how to quit smoking.
If you think you have been infected with
COVID-19, remember to ACT fast.
Assess for COVID-19 symptoms and your risk factors like smoking
If you have been exposed to COVID-19, you may start having symptoms 2 to 14 days after exposure.11 COVID-19 symptoms can be similar to other infections, like the flu.12
If you have flu-like symptoms, it may be COVID-19.12
Symptoms of COVID-19 can look like11:
Muscle or
body aches
Shortness of
breath or difficulty
breathing
Congestion or
runny nose
Cough
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Fever or chills
Headache
Nausea or
vomiting
New loss of smell
and/or taste
Sore throat
Confirm that you have COVID-19 with your healthcare professional
If you have any COVID-19 symptoms or test positive, talk to your healthcare professional right away.
If you do not have symptoms but think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, wait at least 5 full days after exposure and then test for COVID-19 infection.13
If you have COVID-19, do not delay. Even if your symptoms are mild, treatment must be started within days after you first develop symptoms to be effective.14
If you find it hard to breathe, get immediate medical attention.15
Talk to your healthcare professional about treatment options
Treatment options for COVID-19 can be discussed to see if one is right for you.14
These treatments must be taken within days if you begin having symptoms.14
This is why it is so important to contact your healthcare professional as soon as possible.14
References
- World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic diseases in America. Reviewed May 6, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm
- Clark A, Jit M, Warren-Gash C, et al. How many are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease? Rapid global, regional and national estimates for 2020. Posted April 22, 2020. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.18.20064774
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with certain medical conditions. Updated November 22, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html#:~:text=Older%20 adults%20are%20at%20highest,18%2D29%20years
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basics of COVID-19. Updated November 4, 2021. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/about-covid-19/basics-covid-19.html
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Risk factors and risk groups. Updated January 21, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/covid-19/latest-evidence/risk-factors-risk-groups
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Underlying medical conditions associated with higher risk for severe COVID-19: information for healthcare professionals. Updated June 15, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html
- Gao YD, Ding M, Dong X, et al. Risk factors for severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients: a review. Allergy. 2021;76(2):428-455. doi:10.1111/ all.14657
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.
- National Institutes of Health. National EHR data resource reveals COVID-19’s stark mortality risk in people with COPD. Updated March 23, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ncats.nih.gov/pubs/features/national-ehr-data-resource-reveals-covid-19-stark-mortality-risk-in-people-with-copd
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of COVID-19. Updated October 26, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similarities and differences between flu and COVID-19. Reviewed September 28, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What to do if you were exposed to COVID-19. Updated August 24, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/if-you-were-exposed.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 treatments and medications. Updated October 19, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/treatments-for-severe-illness.html
- World Health Organization. COVID-19: symptoms and severity. Updated April 18, 2022. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19/information/asymptomatic-covid-19