London (CNN) More than 1 million people in the UK are estimated to have quit smoking over the past four months during the coronavirus pandemic, with younger people kicking the habit at a higher rate than older smokers, a new analysis shows. The campaign calls on older smokers in particular to take the pandemic as an opportunity to quit, as Covid-19 appears to be generally more severe in older patients. People in the 16-29 age group have quit smoking at more than twice the rate rate of smokers over the age of 50. The UK government has advised that smokers could be at higher risk of suffering severe symptoms associated with Covid-19. ASH said in a press release on Wednesday that smokers who are hospitalized with Covid-19 are more likely to suffer severe outcomes than non-smokers.

Source: CNN July 15, 2020 15:02 UTC