Amid rising concerns about the novel coronavirus outbreak, public health officials recommend several ways for Canadians to improve their immune system and protect themselves against the virus.
A recent study of more than 44,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in China showed that men (2.8 per cent) are more likely than women (1.7 per cent) to die of the virus. Men represented 51 per cent of confirmed cases. Some researchers believe smoking could be the reason for the disparity.
Chinese men smoke more than Chinese women — a 2010 national survey on smoking found that 62.4 per cent of Chinese men had been smokers at some point, compared to just 3.4 per cent of women — and smoking has been proven to damage a person’s health.
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A 2016 study found “ample evidence” that cigarette smoke weakens the defensive function of the immune system.
Another 2017 study found that even social or occasional smoking can cause immense damage to a person’s body, leading to problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hypertension.
1:26 Coronavirus outbreak: Government provides latest numbers on Canadians infected
Coronavirus outbreak: Government provides latest numbers on Canadians infected
It may even be possible that smoking makes a person more susceptible to catching viruses like COVID-19. There is “conclusive evidence that smoking is associated with an increased risk of respiratory viral infection,” per the results of the Surgeon General’s 2014 report.
There’s currently little data to prove that smoking is a risk factor for COVID-19 specifically, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says it’s a possibility.
“There is a marked difference between males and females in this outbreak in terms of severity, and there’s certainly a marked difference in [smoking] habits in China,” Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said in a news conference on Feb. 14.
“It goes without saying that smoking is a risk factor for severity of any lower respiratory tract infection, and we would expect it to be no different here.”
Robert Schwartz from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto agrees.
“It’s very well-known and scientifically-proven in many studies that tobacco smoking oppresses the immune system,” he told Global News.
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“Smokers of tobacco are much more prone to becoming infected.”
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Quitting smoking can have almost immediate positive effects on a person’s body, generally to do with heart health, according to Schwartz.
“We know that when people stop smoking, their chance of cardiac arrest or any type of cardiac event decreases,” he said.
Smoking side effects
Smoking tobacco is linked to more than 24 diseases and conditions, according to Health Canada, and most of these risks start to reverse once a person quits.
Smoking regularly has been linked to: problems with the heart and blood vessels, certain types of cancers, lung and respiratory problems and premature death.
Quitting is proven to have immediate benefits for a person’s health, per Health Canada. Within 20 minutes, your blood pressure drops to a level similar to what it was before your last cigarette.
Within eight hours, the level of carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) in your blood drops to normal, and within 24 hours, your risk of heart attack begins to drop. After 10 years of not smoking, your chance of dying from lung cancer dramatically decreases.
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During outbreak, hygiene is key
Washing your hands regularly is one of the first tips recommended by Canadian public health officials for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“You can stay healthy and prevent the spread of infections by … washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds,” says the Canadian government’s website.
“Individuals can practice everyday prevention measures like frequent hand washing, staying home when sick, and covering coughs and sneezes,” the Centers for Disease Control’s page says on how to prevent COVID-19 spread in communities.
1:24 How Canadian long-term care homes are preparing for COVID-19
How Canadian long-term care homes are preparing for COVID-19
Jason Tetro, microbiologist and host of the Super Awesome Science Show podcast, likened it to washing your dishes after getting them greasy.
“You use a surfactant [like soap] because surfactants break down lipid layers, and so the coronavirus is no different than other envelope viruses, like the flu, when it comes to being exposed to soap and water,” he previously told Global News.
How many times a person usually washes their hands can vary, Tetro said.
“The most important thing is that if your hands have touched a surface or have been in an environment where you cannot tell what the microbial composition probably is, then it’s a very good likelihood that you want to wash your hands,” he said.
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Other recommendations include coughing and sneezing into your elbow and avoiding touching your face.
The WHO also advises keeping a distance of at least three feet between yourself and a person who is coughing or sneezing, to prevent exposure to droplets. “When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus.”
The new coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China. As of Thursday, there were more than 97,000 reported cases worldwide and more than 3,300 deaths, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University.
— With files from Global News reporter Maryam Shah
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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