Coronavirus: People warned not to smoke after French researchers suggest it could protect against infection

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Researchers in France have put forward the idea that nicotine could protect against infection, and one study has shown an unusually low proportion of Covid-19 patients in hospitals to be smokers. “But the message to smokers should be exactly the same, which is stop.” Professor Linda Bauld from the University of Edinburgh said: “If people already have a smoking-related disease, we know they are going to get worse outcomes from Covid-19.” She said people who smoke can also react less well to ventilators, and can take more time to recover after a stint in hospital. He said the “jury was still out” as to whether nicotine could protect people against the disease, but said smokers may still be more likely to catch the virus due to the habit of smoking, which involves bringing their hands very close to their face. Following the hospital data, the head of France’s national health agency said there was no concrete evidence yet that nicotine helped stave off the disease, and warned smoking remained France’s number one killer.