Tobacco control reacts to an inconvenient truth about smoking and Covid-19

Evidence that smokers may not be at greater risk and may even be protected from Covid-19 has thrown the cat among the public health pigeons.

On Wednesday, within hours of the Guardian reporting that 'French researchers are planning to test nicotine patches on coronavirus patients and frontline health workers after a study suggested smokers may be much less at risk of contracting the virus', tobacco control 'experts' were frantically coming up with their own hypotheses.

One suggested that:

The observed lower than expected prevalence of smokers among hospitalised Covid-19 patients could be due to reverse causality or low reporting of smoking (my emphasis).

Yesterday, following the publication of 'The association of smoking status with SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalisation and mortality from COVID-19: A living rapid evidence review', another tweeted:

In 28 studies, poor recording of smoking status (my emphasis) means the association of current/former smoking with #COVID19 infection, hospitalisation or mortality is unclear.

I definitely detect the start of a theme.

If we are not careful an inconvenient truth will be dismissed by public health professionals who will try to argue that many more smokers were hospitalised or critically ill as a result of Covid-19 but they either hid the fact that they smoke or they weren’t asked and no records were kept.

Alternatively tobacco control activists will simply ignore the mounting evidence that doesn’t fit their anti-smoking agenda.

I’ve lost count of the number of times ASH has tweeted something to the effect that 'Smoking makes the impact of Covid-19 worse'.

Also on permanent loop is health secretary Matt Hancock's statement – which he made on March 16 in answer to a question by Bob Blackman, chairman of the ASH-run APPG on Smoking and Health – that “it is abundantly clear that smoking makes the impact of coronavirus worse.”‬

On current evidence neither claim appears to be true but that doesn't seem to bother ASH, and why should it? They're lobbyists not scientists, although there are plenty of lobbyists masquerading as scientists within the public health industry.

Last night however came the sound of screeching brakes and the smell of burning rubber. Responding to the reports coming out of France, ASH CEO Deborah Arnott commented:

“This should encourage smokers to use nicotine to help them quit and stay quit. Smokers are much more likely to succeed if they use other forms of nicotine, e.g. patches, gum and e-cigarettes, all of which are much less harmful than smoking.”

See what she did there?

Shameless doesn't come close to describing ASH’s behaviour which is why this tweet, posted at 10:22 this morning, was equally predictable:

That’s right, despite all the evidence to the contrary, ASH is sticking like glue to the claim that smokers are at greater risk from coronavirus.

With that in mind I would love to be a fly on the wall when ASH hosts a webinar on May 7 'for local authority public health professionals and councillors on the importance of tobacco control as part of local Covid-19 strategies'.

If any open-minded councillors would care to take part and report back, please drop me a note.