Health professionals have warned that vaping health effects may include an increased risk of developing acute COVID-19 complications.

According to an advisory from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Massachusetts General Hospital, both smoking and vaping can increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness. These activities can damage the lungs and lead to reduced immune function – both of which put patients at risk of developing significant complications.

“We know smoking and vaping may put people at higher risk,” Healey said in the warning. “We wanted to get the word out and to make sure people understood that.”

COVID-19, the virus behind the recent pandemic, is a respiratory illness at its core. With symptoms that include coughing and shortness of breath, having diminished lung function can prove to be a significant problem.

According to the Massachusetts warning, patients could increase their chances of recovery by stopping the use of any vape or tobacco products. Additionally, the warning emphasizes that eliminating unnecessary risks could help “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 cases and prevent the country’s healthcare infrastructure from being overwhelmed with critical cases.

“We are at a critical moment when it comes to combating the coronavirus pandemic — supplies and equipment are in short supply and intensive care units are filling up,” said Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, a Harvard Medical School professor and Director of Pediatric Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Tobacco Research and Treatment Center.

“Quitting during this pandemic could not only save your life, but by preventing the need for treatment in a hospital, you might also save someone else’s life.”

Although Massachusetts General has called it “common sense” to stop smoking or vaping during the global pandemic, pro-vaping advocates have argued that the warning was a political move by Healy, who has sued JUUL over its marketing. These advocates claim that the anti-vaping message is a “shameful” attempt to push Healy’s agenda.

“Adult smokers should not be scared off from switching to smoke-free nicotine products by unscrupulous politicians out to generate headlines,” Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, said in a statement. His group, which is reportedly funded in part by vaping retailers, encourages adult smokers to stop smoking cigarettes and instead turn to vaping products.

Despite dissent from pro-vaping advocates, experts agree that the warning’s message is important during this pandemic. Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told the Boston Globe that Healy is “sending a message out that could potentially have a far greater positive impact than normal, because we’re all worried about what we can do to make sure we have as healthy lungs as possible.”

Experts acknowledge that kicking these habits could prove helpful in preventing severe coronavirus complications. However, these researchers note that vapers should not return to smoking cigarettes based on the warning.

Due to the novel nature of the virus, there isn’t data showing that vaping specifically increases the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. In contrast, a few studies have shown that cigarette smokers are more likely to need intensive care, such as ventilator treatment, if they get COVID-19. Other studies have found that smokers may be more likely to die of the virus.

Dr. Michael B. Siegel, a tobacco researcher from Boston University, told the Boston Globe that smoking is associated with more significant lung consequences and immune impairment when compared to vaping health effects. However, Siegel acknowledged the “general irritant effect” associated with vaping, which could make COVID-19, or any respiratory illness, more serious.

Other Vaping Health Effects

Vaping health effects are relatively unknown considering that the products have not been on the market for decades like cigarettes. However, in recent months, vaping has been linked with to a mysterious vaping illness that first swept the nation last year.

The alarming lung disease was associated with symptoms that may sound familiar: shortness of breath, chest pain, and coughing. Although the vaping illness, later dubbed e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), is not in any way associated with the recent coronavirus pandemic, the problem sheds light on the profound effect vaping can have on the lungs.

A February update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that nearly 3,000 people were hospitalized due to EVALI and 68 people had died. After months of panic and uncertainty, the CDC linked EVALI with one potential cause – an e-cigarette additive known as vitamin E acetate. According to the CDC, this additive may be found in THC e-cigarette products which were implicated in the outbreak investigation.