Coronavirus: Smokers facing higher risk of severe symptoms

New figures have revealed that smokers are 40 times more likely to suffer the severe symptoms of the infection

Oldham's Chief Clinical Officer, John Patterson, is urging people to give up smoking to reduce their risk of coronavirus.

New figures have revealed that smokers are 40 times more likely to suffer the severe symptoms of the infection and 2.5 times more likely to end up on ventilation. 

Dr Patterson said: "We're very keen that this is the time to stop smoking.

"So if anybody has been thinking about it for a while, there has never been a better time to stop smoking.

"We need to maximise our health at this point so if you've got diabetes - if you've ever been good at your diet, now's the time to be great at your diet.

"If you smoke, you really should stop smoking and we must all take on board all the other advice from the NHS and government surrounding how to keep ourselves safe and reduce the risk of contracting the virus."

People that smoke are more susceptible to lung and heart diseases because tissues inside the body are damaged.

For tips and advice for how to quit smoking, click here

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