Voice over artist Inka Magnaye encouraged people with smoking habits to start quitting to prevent breathing complications due to COVID-19.
Magnaye shared this advice in her tweet on January 5 where she also said that she had tested positive for COVID-19.
“Now that I have COVID, I’m just SO THANKFUL I’m not a smoker anymore. I can’t imagine how much harder this would be for me if I still smoked/vaped like I used to,” Magnaye said.
“If you haven’t quit yet, please think about how you’re living through a pandemic that attacks the lungs,” she added.
Now that I have COVID, I’m just SO THANKFUL I’m not a smoker anymore. I can’t imagine how much harder this would be for me if I still smoked/vaped like I used to.
If you haven’t quit yet, please think about how you’re living through a pandemic that attacks the lungs.
— Inka (@inkamagnaye) January 5, 2022
Under the thread, Magnaye kept it blunt and said:
“Yes, this is your sign to quit. If you don’t quit, you die.”
Her tweet soon gained 18,600 likes, 1,915 retweets and 329 quote-retweets.
Most of the comments agreed with her and encouraged others to quit their smoking habit.
Some online users also shared harrowing stories of themselves or their relatives who were heavy smokers and got infected with COVID-19.
“Weeks before I got infected by the rona I vaped and smoke kasi nomo nomo yon, teh during my infected days SOBRANG HIRAP HUMINGA, nag o-oxygen tank pa ako every night before going to sleep. This is true! Partida once in a blue moon lang ako mag sunog baga pano pa kaya pag every day,” one Twitter user said.
“Hi friends. I’ve had relatives who struggled badly with smoking. It was traumatic to witness them being more vulnerable health-wise and how the experience with recovery wasn’t easy given our current crappy health care system,” another online user tweeted.
Author Marcelo Santos III also shared that his mom had stopped smoking at the start of the pandemic after she got pneumonia.
“Mom ko, nag-quit siya noong start ng pandemic. nagka-pneumonia kasi siya. bumagsak talaga katawan niya pero ngayon, nakabawi na ang katawan niya. Get well soon, Inka,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization, current research suggested that tobacco smokers have higher risks of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms, and may even cause death.
“Smoking any kind of tobacco reduces lung capacity and increases the risk of many respiratory infections and can increase the severity of respiratory diseases. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs,” the WHO said.
“Smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other respiratory diseases. Available research suggests that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 outcomes and death,” the organization added.
WHO also issued a similar explanation for users of vape or e-cigarette, citing that vaping may increase the risk of COVID-19 infection.
“Existing evidence indicates that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS), more commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, are harmful and increase the risk of heart disease and lung disorders,” the organization said.
“Given that the COVID-19 virus affects the respiratory tract, the hand-to-mouth action of e-cigarette use may increase the risk of infection,” it added.
