Researchers from Kings College London collected data from 2.4 million users of the COVID Symptom Study App.
Users self-identified as smokers or non-smokers when they first started using the app.
Current smokers were 14% more likely than non-smokers to experience fever, persistent cough, and breathlessness.
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Smokers also appeared to experience more symptoms.
Nick Hopkinson, who is the medical director of the British Lung Foundation, tells Verywell.
But if you invest in smoking cessation, you get returns within that year."
If youre concerned about COVID-19 risk, talk with your doctor about ways to quit or manage your smoking.
This is correcting those earlier studies which were very poorly done, Jordt tells Verywell.
Smoking makes things worseit makes you more susceptible and leads to poor outcomes compared to non-smokers.
This means smokers who are exposed to the virus are more likely to develop a severe infection.
Though bleak, Hopkinson says some of the negative effects of smoking decrease almost immediately after cessation.
In the U.S., Jordt says researchers should also consider how various methods of smoking create different health outcomes.
Hopkinson says that if people stop smoking, they can reduce their chances of hospitalization.
Smoking may also lead to a higher chance of transmitting COVID-19 due to coughing and high hand-to-mouth interaction.
And they should provide information about the avenues to do this.
For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
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