2 hours ago Tobacco smokers face a forty to fifty percent higher risk of developing severe disease and death from COVID-19 than non- smokers, World Health Organ organization (WHO) has revealed. In a shared news release this past Friday, the organisation’s Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that, “Smokers have up to a 50% higher risk of developing severe disease and death from COVID-19, so quitting is the best thing smokers can do to lower their risk from this coronavirus, as well as the risk of developing cancers, heart disease and respiratory illnesses.” The Director-General was urging countries to play an active role in joining the WHO campaign by creating tobacco-free environments that give people the information, support and tools they need to quit tobacco “,and quit for good.”