Doctors urge NY Governor Cuomo to ban tobacco to fight coronavirus

New York doctors urge Governor Andrew Cuomo to ban all tobacco products after experts warn smokers and vapers may be more vulnerable to coronavirus infection

• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been asked by a group of doctors to issue an executive order that would ban the sale of all tobacco products
• The group points to a study, which found smokers have a greater susceptibility of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus
• But the New York State Vapor Association argues that such an overarching ban would lead to people buying tobacco products on the black market
• In the US, there are more than 54,000 confirmed cases – at least 26,000 in New York – and nearly 800 deaths 
• Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

Doctors are urging New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to ban vaping to help fight coronavirus as cases continue to soar.

The New York State Academy of Family Physicians (NYSAFP) is asking the governor to issue an executive order that would ban the sale of all tobacco products. 

The group point to a study from China, which found that smokers have a greater susceptibility of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

What’s more, researchers found that those who use use tobacco are ’14 times as likely to have COVID-19 progression.’ 

In the US, there are more than 54,000 confirmed cases of the virus – at least 26,000 of which are in New York – and nearly 800 deaths. 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been asked by a group of doctors to issue an executive order that would ban the sale of all tobacco products. Pictured: Cuomo speaks to the media about coronavirus cases in New York on March 24

The group points to a study, which found smokers have a greater susceptibility of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus (file image)

‘As our state and country struggle to respond to the rapidly evolving and escalating COVID-19 pandemic affecting our residents and straining our healthcare system,   mounting evidence demonstrates the link between tobacco use and increased risk for progressive COVID-19,’ NYSAFP president Dr Barbara Keber, said in a statement to the New York Daily News.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Cuomo had taken measures to reduce vaping in New York.   

Last month, Cuomo launched the hashtag #NoVapeNY and announced that those who wanted to quit vaping could join a texting program.

‘It wasn’t that long ago that we were dealing with a separate respiratory crisis that was specifically tied to vaping products,’ Dr Jason Matuszak, the group’s president-elect, told WRGB.

He is referring to a slew of vaping-related illnesses that sickened 2,807 people and killed at least 68 in 29 states and the District of Columbia.

The ‘key culprit’ was a vitamin E-derived oil, called vitamin E acetate, which was found in nearly all of the cannabis vapors that sickened patients.

It clings to the lungs and causes chemical-like burns likened to those suffered by soldiers attacked with mustard gas.

Dr Matuszak says that if vapers with such serious lung damage contact coronavirus, it could leave them needing to be on ventilators.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Governor Cuomo said that the state currently has 7,000 ventilators, but needs 30,000. 

‘If we have 14 times fewer people needing ventilators, that’s a big difference,’ Dr Matuszak told WRGB.

‘Now all of the sudden our ventilators that we have in supply might be enough to help the vast majority of our population get through this really tough time.’    

But the New York State Vapor Association argues that such an overarching ban would lead to people buying tobacco products on the black market.

‘I think it’s responsible to not cause a separate panic by banning tobacco products,’ the group’s vice president, Andrew Osborne, told the station. 

‘I do understand the need to recommend people not to use combustible tobacco, especially during this point, but it’s very disingenuous if they’re going to try and take life saving vapor products away from hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who need them to stay smoke free.’  

Neither group immediately replied to DailyMail.com’s request for comment. 

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