Teenagers and young adults who vape face a significantly higher risk of contracting COVID-19, a new study shows.
The study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, includes data from online surveys conducted in May. The surveys included responses from 4,351 participants, ages 13 to 24, from across the country. About half had used e-cigarettes, while the other half had never used nicotine products.
Researchers found that those who vaped were five times more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who did not use e-cigarettes. Those who vaped and smoked cigarettes were seven times more likely to contract the disease.
Youths who had vaped and smoked cigarettes in the previous 30 days were almost five times as likely to experience COVID-19 symptoms, such as coughing, fever and difficulty breathing as those who had never smoked or vaped.
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