Smoking has been off my radar for a long time. Over the past several years in the US, there has been quite a social stigma associated with smoking. No smoking in restaurants, bars, public places, etc., that’s the usual sign up. At this point in time, I don’t know one person who smokes. I know that in other countries that is not necessarily true.

About a month ago, Omicron blew through our city like a wind on a hot summer day. Thousands were infected including myself and my husband. Actually, six members of my family got it. It wasn’t too severe for our family but hospitalizations are up and lots of people are having a difficult time with it.

I got to thinking, who is being affected the most by it? And of course, it is people with a diminished lung capacity. Smokers are part of this category. I read a study that said that smokers are 80 percent more likely to end up in the hospital with Covid and 60 percent more likely to have negative outcomes. Not good, for sure.

For those of you who read my blog, I would encourage you to quit smoking. Covid is not going away anytime soon, and I don’t want you to end up being a statistic. We all have a tendency to think that negative things won’t happen to us but I guarantee that it is certainly possible with Covid.

Will it really make any difference if you quit smoking, especially for those who have smoked for years? Orlando Health says that if you quit smoking, your lungs begin to heal immediately. Carbon Monoxide begins to leave your bloodstream gradually. Within the first month of quitting smoking, your lung function will improve and you will have increased circulation. Within a decade of being smoke-free, your risk of bladder, lung, mouth and throat cancer significantly decreases. All this indicates that the longer you go without a cigarette, the better it is for your long term health.

When both my husband and I went to the doctor to get tested, we were asked, “Do you smoke?” When we said, “No,” the doctor didn’t seem too concerned about us. That really alerted me that smoking has a big impact in your outcome should you get Covid. I appreciate every one of you that reads this blog and I want the very best for you. So please, quit smoking! I want to see you around the blogosphere for a long time!

Image by Ray Kunze. Courtesy of PIxabay