The new strain of Coronavirus, COVID-19, has gained a lot of media coverage as it begins to spread. We would like to take this opportunity to share some vaping advice and practices to help you protect yourself and your e-cigarette against germs and combat any concerns you may have during this time.
Smokers are more at risk
According to Keir Lewis, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Swansea University smokers are more likely to develop lung problems as a result of contracting COVID-19. Additionally people who smoke are more likely than non-smokers to develop pneumonia, if they catch coronavirus.
The New England Journal of Medicine has also reported that smokers are around one-and-a-half times more likely to progress to the severe stage of coronavirus than those who do not smoke.
The Chief Medical Officer for England has warned that coronavirus poses a greater risk to smokers, as they are more likely to suffer from respiratory problems and their immune system is not as strong as the average non-smoker’s. Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive at Action on Smoking and Health explains;
"Smokers are more likely to get respiratory infections and twice as likely to develop pneumonia as non-smokers"
Therefore, it has been recommended that this is the perfect time to make a stop smoking attempt, to help decrease your risk of falling victim to the virus and lessen your risk of serious illness if you unfortunately do contract it. Arnott goes on to say;
"Quitting smoking is good for your health in so many ways and smokers should see coronavirus as further motivation to give quitting a go to build up their body's defences now before coronavirus becomes widespread in the UK."
E-cigarettes have been found to be at least 95% less harmful than smoking by Public Health England, and are endorsed by a number of health organisations as an effective smoking alternative. If you would like to quit smoking to help improve your health, your chances of making a successful stop smoking attempt are much higher if you utilise an alternative nicotine delivery tool like an e-cigarette.
Keeping your e-cigarette clean
While the risk of catching the virus is still quite low in the UK, health organisations are advising that the best way to protect yourself is to be vigilant about personal hygiene and keeping your belongings and environment clean. This includes washing your hands regularly with soap and water, coughing and sneezing into a tissue and throwing it away immediately, and keeping items you have regular contact with such as phones and keyboards clean. For vapers, this cleanliness should extend to your e-cigarette also.
We do not recommend sharing your device with others, but especially at present it is important to be aware of anyone else using your device. It’s easy to forget and pass your e-cigarette to a fellow vaper to try your new favourite e-liquid, but if anyone besides yourself uses your e-cigarette it is important to clean it thoroughly before recommencing use.
The best way to clean your device is with antibacterial disinfectant wipes, which will help remove any bacteria and germs from the device and tank. If you wish to do a deeper clean of your tank you can do this by completely disassembling it, removing the coil, and cleaning it in warm water with a little dish soap. Once you have cleaned it ensure the device is completely dry before reassembling and putting in a coil, using paper towels and letting the parts air dry for 10-20 minutes.
It is important to ensure you never introduce any batteries to water, and the best way to clean a device remains to be wiping it properly with a disinfectant wipe. For more information on cleaning your device, take a look at our blog post 'Vape Device: Cleaning and Maintenance'.
Can you catch Coronavirus from products shipped from overseas?
We would like to reassure our customers that even though many vaping devices are produced in one of the affected countries, the virus can only live on surfaces for a couple of days at most, and so the likelihood of the virus being present on any items is extremely low. We do however recommend giving any new products a clean before commencing use as best practice.
Product availability
A large number of vaping devices and coils are produced in China, there has been some interruption to production which could cause some devices to be less widely available in the most popular colour variations and the number of replacement coils a store has on hand may be slightly lower than usual. However, many of the factories are now starting to get production back on track so items that do go out of stock should not remain so for long. If your local Evapo store is out of stock of your usual coil, a member of our team will be happy to recommend alternative coil options, or you can take a look on our online store for convenient home delivery in the meantime.
Shopping at Evapo
We have increased our remote customer service support team in order to support higher volumes of online orders as more people are self isolating and ordering online at evapo.co.uk. We have reduced risk at our warehouse with the use of home-working, isolation methods and improved remote working communication channels. Additional we have engaged and trained additional staff on site for potential absence cover. Whilst there may be some disruption if specific areas are isolated our parcel carriers expect to continue operations.
The well-being of our colleagues and customers is of the utmost importance and we have introduced measures to minimise non-essential travel and support working from home wherever practical, whilst minimising disruption to our operations. We continue to monitor and follow government advice for businesses and have contingency plans in place.
Finally we have established a central steering group to maintain communication and incident reporting whilst ensuring our business continuity plan remains effective and minimising any risk of infection. All Evapo colleagues have been briefed fully on best practice to avoid the virus and self-isolation procedures.
In store flavour bar
In light of the COVID-19 virus, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend the use of our in store flavour bar and tester devices. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but ask customers to please understand that this decision has been made in the interest of keeping our customers safe and preventing the spread of germs.
Stay hydrated
Whilst there is no specific evidence linked to coronavirus and food or water, keeping yourself healthy is going to help keep your body's defences ready should they need to fight off any germs. One of the ways you can do this is to keep yourself hydrated, as being dehydrated can weaken your immune system. It is recommended that the average adult strives to drink 2 litres of water a day, as part of a balanced and healthy diet. Using an e-cigarette frequently can actually leave you a little dehydrated so we recommend always carrying a bottle of water with you to keep you hydrated throughout the day.
To learn more about COVID-19 and how to protect yourself and your loved ones take a look at this video for up to date information and advice. The government website is updated daily to help you stay informed about the current advice for protecting yourselves and others against the virus, and you can get information about how to recognise symptoms and what to do if you or a loved one is unwell on the NHS website.
We would like to wish you well and hope that you and your loved ones remain healthy during these challenging times.
Sources
https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/05/smokers-risk-catching-coronavirus-12354004/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51703892
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
https://filtermag.org/italy-vaping-coronavirus/
