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Lawmakers urge the FDA to temporarily clear e-cigarettes from market amid Covid pandemic. Here's why - CNN
Aug 11, 2020 2 mins, 45 secs
Stephen Hahn on Tuesday, makes this call based on emerging research that suggests vaping or using e-cigarettes can come with an increased risk of being diagnosed with Covid-19 and suffering symptoms.

"This is true in vapers as young as 13, which is particularly concerning, given that young people are increasingly driving the spread of COVID-19, threatening the health and safety of Americans of all ages," wrote Rep.

Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform's Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, who sent the letter on behalf of the subcommittee.

In the letter, the subcommittee asks for Hahn to confirm by August 18 -- in one week -- whether or not the FDA will temporarily clear the market of all e-cigarettes.

Considering that the world still doesn't know much about the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19 -- and that the vaping trend emerged just recently -- not much is known about how the two may affect each other or be associated.

But some new studies have started to explore possible connections, specifically around how vapers might have a more difficult time fighting off a coronavirus infection and could possibly be more susceptible to the illness.

'We thought that we'd see some relationship'

Being diagnosed with Covid-19 was five times more likely among young people who have used e-cigarettes ever, according to a new study that is referenced in Krishnamoorthi's letter.

The study, based on an online survey, also found that young people who have a history of using both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 compared with those who have never used either product.

"We thought that we'd see some relationship.

"I actually think it's all of the above."

The study included data on 4,351 young people ages 13 to 24 in the United States who completed an online survey in May.

The survey asked them questions about using e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, along with Covid-19-related symptoms, getting tested and being diagnosed with the disease.

"We've seen adolescents who are vaping having asthma.

"Those things are unclear at this point."

While there are many questions left to answer, a separate study recently explored just how many young adults might be at this increased Covid risk due to vaping or other risk factors.

Smoking as a risk factor

Nearly a third of young adults have some type of risk factor that makes them medically vulnerable to severe illness if they get Covid-19, and smoking -- including using either traditional cigarettes or vaping e-cigarettes -- is the strongest risk factor among this age group, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in July.

The researchers, from the University of California, San Francisco, looked at more than 8,000 participants ages 18 to 25 who had participated in the National Health Interview Survey to see what their medical vulnerability to severe Covid-19 was in relation to risk indicators that had been set out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including health conditions and smoking habits.

The researchers found 32% of the total study population were medically vulnerable for severe Covid-19.

"By contrast, relatively fewer young adults reported medical conditions identified by the CDC as conferring severe illness risk."

The research showed that in the whole study population, young adult men were at a higher risk for severe Covid-19.

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