>>>
>>> LATELY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF
CASES OF COVID-19 IN KIDS.
THIS IS AS MANY OF THEM ARE
PREPARING TO RETURN TO SCHOOL.
BUT KIDS AND ESPECIALLY
TEENAGERS ARE FACING ANOTHER
RISK AS FAR AS COVID-19.
THERE'S A NEW STUDY OUT THIS
WEEK, AND IT'S THE FIRST TO
LINK VAPING AND SMOKING IN THAT
AGE GROUP TO AN INCREASED RISK
FOR COVID-19.
FOR COVID-19. TO OUR 9 EXPERT JOINS US TO
BREAK DOWN THE NUMBERS AND WHAT
IT MEANS FOR PARENTS.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM THE
STUDY?
STUDY?
STUDY? TELL US ABOUT IT.
>> SO TOM, THIS WAS A VERY
COMPELLING STUDY COMING OUT OF
STANFORD MEDICAL SCHOOL THAT
LOOKED AT 4351 ADOLESCENCE, AND
THEY WERE SURVEYED DURING THE
MONTH OF MAY OF THIS YEAR.
THEY WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR
VAPING HABITS, THEN THIS WAS
CORRELATED WITH THE RISK OF
CONTRACTING COVID-19.
CONTRACTING COVID-19. AND THE FINDINGS WERE VERY
DRAMATIC.
DRAMATIC.
DRAMATIC. IF YOU'VE EVER USED ANY E-
CIGARETTES OR VAPING PRODUCTS,
YOUR RISK FOR CONTRACTING COVID-
19 WAS INCREASED FIVEFOLD.
IF YOU HAVE USED THESE VAPING
PRODUCTS OR CIGARETTES OR BOTH
WITHIN THE LAST 30 DAYS, YOUR
RISK WAS INCREASED SEVENFOLD.
THIS WAS AFTER ADJUSTING FOR
OTHER FACTORS LIKE HOW MUCH
SPREAD THERE WAS OCCURRING IN
THE COMMUNITY, HOW MUCH CONTACT
THESE INDIVIDUALS HAD, WHAT
THEIR AGE WAS, WHAT THEIR
GENDER WAS.
GENDER WAS. WHAT WE FOUND IT WAS NOT JUST
AN INCREASED RISK OF CATCHING
COVID, BUT THERE WAS ALSO AN
INCREASED RISK OF HAVING
SYMPTOMS FROM COVID, SO YOU ARE
FIVE TIMES AS LIKELY TO HAVE
SYMPTOMS FROM COVID, AND THIS
IS A COMPELLING ASSOCIATION
THAT HAS COME OUT OF THIS
STUDY.
STUDY.
STUDY. >>
STUDY. >> IT DOES NOT REACH A
CONCLUSION, BUT YOU START TO
SPECULATE ABOUT DAMAGE TO YOUR
LUNGS, DAMAGE TO YOUR BREATHING
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. >> EXACTLY RIGHT, TOM.
THAT'S THE MOST OBVIOUS
EXPLANATION FOR DISASSOCIATION
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SMOKERS
AND THOSE WHO USE NICOTINE
PRODUCTS CAN HAVE DAMAGE TO THE
INNATE IMMUNITY OF THEIR LUNGS
COMES TO OUR LUNGS OUR FIRST
LINE OF DEFENSE BECAUSE THE
INTERACT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT.
THEY HAVE LITTLE CILIA OR HAIR
ON THE CELLS THAT CAN CLEAR WAY
PARTICLES.
PARTICLES. WE KNOW SMOKERS HAVE DAMAGE TO
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. THEY ALSO PRODUCE MUCUS IN
ORDER TO CLEAR PARTICLES AND
TROUT VIRUSES.
TROUT VIRUSES. WE KNOW SMOKERS HAVE ABNORMAL
MUCUS PRODUCTION, WE KNOW
SMOKERS CAN ALSO TROUBLE
CLEARING THEIR SECRETIONS.
THAT IS THE OBVIOUS EXPLANATION
FOR DISASSOCIATION, BUT THERE'S
ALSO SOME THAT ARE LITTLE LESS
INTUITIVE.
INTUITIVE. FOR EXAMPLE WHEN YOU VAPE, YOU
ARE BRINGING YOUR HAND CLOSE TO
YOUR MOUTH VERY OFTEN, SO IT'S
THE HAND AND MOUTH CONNECTION
THAT CAN CAUSE THIS PROBLEM.
AT THE SAME TIME, YOU COULD BE
SHARING YOUR VAPING PRODUCTS
WITH OTHERS, AND THAT COULD BE
PART OF THE PROBLEM AS WELL,
THEN FINALLY WHEN YOU VAPE, YOU
ALSO GENERATE AEROSOLS, SO YOU
COULD BE ACTUALLY CAUSING MORE
SPREAD OF THE VIRUS BECAUSE YOU
ARE CREATING SMALLER PARTICLES
IN YOUR DROPLETS, SO IF
SOMEBODY HAS CORONAVIRUS AND IS
VAPING, THEY COULD BE SPREADING
AND MORE EFFICIENTLY TO OTHERS.
>> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT,
SPREADING AND CREATING AEROSOL
AND VIABLE DROPLETS, IT SEEMS
LIKE WE ALWAYS DO, YOU USE CO-
HOARDING AS A POSITIVE THING IN
SCHOOLS, BUT DO YOU THINK
PEOPLE WHO VAPE MAY VAPE
TOGETHER AS WELL.
THEY MAY ALSO HAVE A NEGATIVE
IMPACT FORM OF COURTING IN
THEIR OWN RIGHT.
>> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
THAT'S AN EXCELLENT
OBSERVATION, THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT THE SCIENTISTS THINK IS
PROPAGATING SOME OF THESE
ASSOCIATIONS.
ASSOCIATIONS. IF YOU LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE
DATA FROM 2017, 26% OF HIGH
SCHOOL KIDS IN COLORADO HAD
SAID THEY HAD USED THE VAPING
OR E-CIGARETTES WITHIN THE LAST
30 DAYS.
30 DAYS.
30 DAYS. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE STUDY
AND PUT INTO CONTEXT, ONE OUT
OF FOUR TEENAGERS SEEM TO HAVE
USED VAPING PRODUCTS AT SOME
POINT IN THEIR LIFE ARE WITHIN
THE LAST 30 DAYS.
MOST PARENTS SHOULD REALLY BE
PROACTIVE ABOUT TALKING TO
THEIR KIDS, WHETHER THEY
CURRENTLY VAPED OR MAY VAPE IN
THE FUTURE OR VAPED IN THE
PAST, ABOUT DISASSOCIATION
BECAUSE IT IS NOT INTUITIVE,
AND KIDS OFTEN THINK VAPING IS
INNOCUOUS.
INNOCUOUS. >> I THINK IT'S DIFFICULT MANY
TIMES FOR PARENTS TO REACH
THEIR KID WHEN TALKING ABOUT
VAPING OR SMOKING, BUT IN