--- title: "Study: Young Vapers Far More Likely to be Diagnosed With COVID-19" description: "According to a new study published today in the Journal of Adolescent Health, young adults who vape are way more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19." date: "2020-08-11" modified: "2020-08-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/vape-smoke-likely-diagnosed-covid-19" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "e-cigarettes" - "vape" - "vaping" --- # Study: Young Vapers Far More Likely to be Diagnosed With COVID-19 ![According to a new study published today in the Journal of Adolescent Health, young adults who vape are way more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19.]() *\Image: TBEC Review\* According to a [new Stanford study]() published today in the J*ournal of Adolescent Health*, young adults who vape are very more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than those who don't. The researchers found that young adults aged 13 to 24 who use e-cigarette products are five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than other non-vaping young adults. Those who vape and also smoke cigarettes are seven times more likely to test positive. “I knew there would be a relationship,” co0author Bonnie Halpern-Felscher, professor of pediatrics at Stanford University, [told *Wired*](). “I did not expect it to be this strong of a relationship.” We've suspected for several months that there was a connection. In mid-March, scientists [claimed it was reasonable to assume]() that smoking or vaping could make COVID-19 symptoms more severe once infected. [Other]() [studies]() have also found a similar association. The researchers got their data through online surveys posted on social media and gaming sites, gathering data from over 4,000 teens and young adults from all 50 US states. While the found association was demonstrably pretty strong, "we did not ask participants about hospitalization or severity of symptoms and cannot ascertain asymptomatic respondents," the researchers wrote in the paper. They also did not ask why users decided to get tested for the coronavirus, meaning that there's a chance some participants confused the effects of vaping with COVID-19 symptoms, as [*Wired* points out](). The researchers have some hypotheses, albeit unproven, as to why there's such a strong association: smokers may have increased lung damage making them more vulnerable. They could be touching their face and mouth more often. Or sharing vapes. "This is yet one more sign that e-cigarettes are unhealthy,” Halpern-Felsher [told *The Verge*](). “Look, this is a pandemic \[…\] this is the time for you to quit and not start vaping,” she said, to anyone who needs to hear this, somehow. In their paper, the researchers suggest that the Food and Drug Administration should consider effectively regulating e-cigarettes during the pandemic, and that health messaging should be focused on youth and e-cigarette and cigarette use. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()