UKVIA: Stanford Vaping Study ‘Fundamentally Flawed’

Contrary to what its authors suggest, a recent study led by Stanford University fails to demonstrate a causative relationship between vaping and Covid-19 infection, according to the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine recently found that among young people who were tested for the coronavirus, those who vaped were five times to seven times more likely to be infected than those who did not use e-cigarettes.

“Whilst we welcome any research which can assist people in staying safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, the UKVIA is disappointed by the Stanford-led study which appears to dismiss the vital harm-reduction role of vaping for smokers. The study draws disproportionate conclusions, is fundamentally flawed and inconclusive,” said John Dunne, director of the UKVIA.

“While the leader of the study, Dr. Shivani Gaiha, has attempted to account for study participants ‘sheltering in place,’ this metric is self-reported and as such may be unreliable.

“Dr. Gaiha’s study also considers ‘ever-use’ to indicate that a person is a vaper. When this is corrected for those who were vaping within 30-days of a Covid-19 diagnosis, the connection between vaping and the virus is no longer significant. To suggest that any use of a vaping product dramatically increases the chances of contracting Covid-19 is therefore a gross exaggeration.”

“Furthermore, the UKVIA is concerned to see the researchers taking a partial approach to this research and calling upon regulation as a result of dubious findings. Putting such a call out on the back of the research seriously calls into question its purpose.”

Dunne also noted that the issue of youth vaping observed in some other countries is not representative of the situation in the U.K.