A US study led by Indian-origin researcher has found that teenagers and young adults who used e-cigarettes (vaping) were more likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19.

The study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, examined connections between youth vaping and Covid-19 using US population-based data collected during the pandemic.

Among young people who were tested for the virus that causes Covid-19, the research found that those who vaped were five to seven times more likely to be infected than those who did not use e-cigarettes.

“Young people may believe their age protects them from contracting the virus or that they will not experience symptoms of Covid-19, but the data show this isn’t true among those who vape,” said the study lead author, postdoctoral scholar Shivani Mathur Gaiha from Stanford University in the US.

According to the study, surveys were completed by 4,351 participants aged 13 to 24.

The researchers recruited a sample of participants that was evenly divided between those who had used e-cigarettes and those who had never used nicotine products.

The sample also included approximately equal numbers of people in different age groups (adolescent, young adult, and adult), races and genders.

Participants answered questions about whether they had ever used vaping devices or combustible cigarettes, as well as whether they had vaped or smoked in the past 30 days.

They were asked if they had experienced Covid-19 symptoms, received a test for Covid-19, or received a positive diagnosis of Covid-19 after being tested.

The findings showed that young people who had used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days were almost five times as likely to experience Covid-19 symptoms, such as coughing, fever, tiredness, and difficulty breathing as those who never smoked or vaped.

Depending on which nicotine products they used and how recently they had used them, young people who vaped or smoked, or both, were 2.6 to nine times more likely to receive Covid-19 tests than nonusers.

Among the participants who were tested for Covid-19, those who had ever used e-cigarettes were five times more likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 than nonusers.

Those who had used both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes in the previous 30 days were 6.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.

“This study tells us pretty clearly that youth who are using vapes or are dual-using (e-cigarettes and cigarettes) are at elevated risk, and it’s not just a small increase in risk; it’s a big one,” Gaiha said.

In July, another study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, revealed that young people who smoke and vape have an increased chance of becoming seriously ill from the Covid-19 virus.

Lucknow has recorded an all-time high of 831 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, as it crossed the 14,000 marks. Medical experts have said that if immediate steps are not taken the state capital may soon cross the 1,000-mark in a day.

Tuesday’s figure took the caseload to 14,221 since the outbreak on March 11, of which 42 percent (6,043 cases) have been reported to date in August.

About 7,317 patients have also recovered to date, but since the transmission rate is higher than recovery, active patients have swelled to 6,743. Though asymptomatic cases are allowed home isolation, the increase in active cases added to the pressure on COVID hospitals.

Prof T.N. Dhole, senior virologist, and ex-professor at SGPGI said moisture in the atmosphere in monsoon is abetting the spread of the virus.

“The surge will continue and we may see more than 1,000 cases daily by August end. The transmission rate would peak in October,” he explained.

Experts cited three main reasons behind the spike — rainy season, negligence of safety protocol, and delay in contact tracing.

However, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Rajendra Prasad Singh denied laxity in contact tracing. “More cases are being detected because we have doubled our testing capacity to 5,000 daily which is double in comparison to July,” he said.

King George’s Medical Unit, medicine head and in charge of COVID unit, Prof Virendra Adam said, “I see people across the city crowding markets without social distancing and masks. Hand hygiene is also being neglected which explains the spread of the virus.”

All six Indian men’s hockey team players, who have tested positive for coronavirus, have been shifted to a multispeciality hospital in Bengaluru, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) informed on Wednesday morning.

Earlier, striker Mandeep Singh was hospitalized late on Monday night, owing to a dip in his oxygen level.

SAI has now said that as a precautionary measure, they shifted captain Manpreet Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, and Krishnan B Pathak to SS Sparsh multi-specialty hospital — where Mandeep is already hospitalized — on Tuesday afternoon.

“The decision to hospitalize them was taken so as to ensure that the players were attended to at all times and could be given the best possible treatment,” said SAI.

All six athletes are in good health and recovering well, it added.

The players had been diagnosed with COVID-19 following their arrival at the SAI’s National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) for the hockey national camp which began on August 4.

“I am self quarantined on the SAI campus and I am very happy with the way SAI authorities have handled the situation,” Manpreet had earlier said. “I am very happy that they made the testing of athletes mandatory. That proactive step helped in identifying the problem right in time. I am doing fine and hope to recover very soon.”