The Minister for Health has encouraged people to quit smoking on World Tobacco Day by calling the Quitline or downloading the My Quitbuddy app.
In a statement, the Minister, Greg Hunt said that between January and May the My Quitbuddy app was downloaded more than 24,000 times, a 310 per cent increase over the same period last year.
“These figures are very encouraging and I congratulate those who have taken the first step. Quitting is not always easy, but assistance is available and the benefits are significant,” Mr Hunt said.
“There is growing evidence that smokers are more likely to develop a severe case of COVID-19 if they contract the virus,” he said.
“However, there is currently insufficient evidence to conclude whether smoking – either cigarettes or e-cigarettes – increases a person’s susceptibility to contracting the coronavirus.”
Mr Hunt said tobacco use was a major cause of cardiovascular disease, at least 16 types of cancer, respiratory disease and type 2 diabetes and that COVID-19 patients who had those health conditions could suffer worse outcomes from the virus.
“Irrespective of the relationship between smoking and COVID-19, quitting smoking at any age is beneficial to a person’s health,” he said.
“There is no safe level of tobacco consumption.”
He said smoking rates had declined significantly over the past two decades, from 22.3 per cent in 2001 to 13.8 per cent in 2017.
Mr Hunt said the Government aimed to reduce smoking rates further, to less than 10 per cent by 2025 through the 10-year National Preventive Health Strategy and a commitment of $31.6 million over four years to reduce smoking prevalence.
Further information on the My Quit Buddy app can be accessed at this PS News link.
