Category: Covid-19

  • India Bans Tobacco Sales to Ensure Social Distancing

    India Bans Tobacco Sales to Ensure Social Distancing

    The government of India has banned the sale of tobacco, liquor and gutka (a form of chewing tobacco) to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

    The measures have been put in place in order to ensure social distancing, an important aspect of the fight against the coronavirus, is adhered to. The ban is part of a list of directives issued under the Disaster Management Act of 2005 and also prohibits acts such as spitting in public, which is now punishable by a fine.

    The lockdown in India began on March 25 and was extended on April 14 for another three weeks. India has reported more than 10,000 coronavirus cases and 377 deaths.

    Dominated by traditional tobacco products, such as bidis and chewing tobacco, India is one of the world’s largest tobacco markets.
     

  • Trump Halts WHO Funding

    Trump Halts WHO Funding

    Photo: Gerd Altmann | PixaBay

    U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is halting funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) during its fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

    World leaders condemned this decision.

    “It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported as it is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win the war against Covid-19,” said Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations.

    “Blaming does not help,” Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, wrote on Twitter. “The virus knows no borders.”

    Trump accused the WHO of “severely mismanaging and covering up” the coronavirus outbreak and said the U.S. will withhold funding until it can review the organization’s actions.

    The U.S. is the WHO’s biggest donor, and halting funding will deprive the organization of about 10 percent of its budget during the crisis.

  • WHO Warns Against Tobacco Role in Covid-19 Vaccine

    WHO Warns Against Tobacco Role in Covid-19 Vaccine

    Photo: Tumisu | PixaBay

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned governments about engaging with the tobacco industry over the development of coronavirus vaccines.

    British American Tobacco (BAT) announced this month that it had made a breakthrough in developing a potential plant-based vaccine candidate for Covid-19. Medicago, a biotechnology specialist based in Canada and partly owned by Philip Morris International, is also developing a vaccine for the virus.

    However, the WHO says there is “a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and public health policy interests.” What’s more, the global health body’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control restricts members in dealing with the tobacco industry.

    David O’Reilly, director of scientific research at BAT, has said that the company has contacted healthcare departments to offer access to its research and plans to contact the WHO.
     

  • CTFK Wants Vape Shops Labeled as Non-Essential

    CTFK Wants Vape Shops Labeled as Non-Essential

    The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) is sending out email blasts urging for a “Call to Action” to pressure U.S. President Donald Trump to label vape shops as non-essential businesses.

    “In a new low, vape shops are lobbying the Trump Administration to be declared “essential businesses” so they can stay open during the COVID-19 crisis. This is ludicrous and we need your help to stop it,” the email begins. “It is the height of disgrace for the vaping industry to argue that e-cigarettes, which damage the lungs, should be considered essential during a lung disease pandemic. It has never been more urgent for us to protect our kids and their health, not vape shops.”

    Some states have labeled vape shops as non-essential businesses. In states such as Ohio, vapor advocacy groups such as the Ohio Vapor Technology Association (OHVTA) have asked its members to close their doors during the pandemic. Ohio, however, allows online sales. Many US states do not.

    Gas stations and convenience stores, where the majority of combustible cigarettes are purchased, are labeled essential businesses. CTFK does not make any mention of asking for businesses that sell deadly cigarettes to be closed.

  • Zimbabwe: Stakeholders Set Covid-19 Market Guidelines

    Zimbabwe: Stakeholders Set Covid-19 Market Guidelines

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has been working to set guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the tobacco selling season.

    The board is expected to enforce a “deliver today, sell tomorrow” guideline, and only 20 farmers will be allowed to complete the sale of each batch before moving to the next one. Farmers will not be allowed to sleep overnight at the market, temperatures and IDs will be checked at the gate, and handwashing stations will be installed at the entrances.

    “Tobacco is bought in the absence of the growers who shall come in to review after the sale. Floor marshals shall be deployed by the industry to ensure that rules set by the stakeholders are followed. They shall conduct random checks on gate passes and maintain the permitted number of people in a gathering,” the guideline proposal states.

    Nonbooked tobacco will not be accepted, and sellers will be turned away.

  • Study: Smokers More Likely to Suffer from Coronavirus

    Study: Smokers More Likely to Suffer from Coronavirus

    A recent study in the European Respiratory Journal shows that smokers and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to develop severe coronavirus infections because they have a higher number of the virus’ entry receptor enzyme (ACE2) in their lungs.

    “The data emerging from China suggested that patients with COPD were at higher risk of having worse outcomes from Covid-19,” said lead author Janice Leung, a researcher at the University of British Columbia and St. Paul’s Hospital. “We hypothesized that this could be because the levels of ACE2 in their airways might be increased compared to people without COPD, which could possibly make it easier for the virus to infect the airway.”

    The study found higher levels of ACE2 in individuals suffering from COPD as well as current smokers. The levels in individuals who had quit smoking were similar to those who had never smoked.

  • India: Production Stoppages Drive Up Cigarette Prices

    India: Production Stoppages Drive Up Cigarette Prices

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Since the lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, the black market price of cigarettes has risen by 50 percent to 100 percent as production has ceased in many places.

    A 10-pack of Gold Flake Kings costs between INR250 and INR300 ($3.28 and $3.93), whereas it would normally cost INR165, according to local reports.

    “The situation is bad. All paanwallas have shut shop in the city. A few grocery stores are keeping stock, but they sell it only to those they know and that too at a premium,” Piyush Gupta of Delhi was quoted as saying.

    The price of cigarettes rose in phases, according to Chirag Gudipaty of Bengaluru. “In the first week of the lockdown, cigarette packs used to be sold for MRP. By the second week, they were attracting a 20 percent premium. Now, the premium is anywhere between 30 [percent] to 100 percent depending on how well you knew your retailer before,” he said.

    Experts recommend that those who have been abstaining from smoking during the lockdown use the opportunity quit for good.

  • Tobacco Sales Soar Even as Authorities Urge Quitting

    Tobacco Sales Soar Even as Authorities Urge Quitting

    Photo: Šárka Jonášová | Pixabay

    Tobacco sales worldwide are rising amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, reports Euro Weekly News.

    Experts say it’s unlikely more people are picking up smoking and more likely that current smokers are stocking up on supplies in preparation for even longer lockdowns.

    In some places, such as Spain, authorities have declared tobacco an essential business, aiding in the availability and sales of the products. The biggest tobacco producers have seen huge sales in the first quarter of 2020; Marlboro has a brand value of €30.5 billion ($33.3 billion) so far and L&M has a brand value of €5.5 billion.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) says that smokers and vapers are more at risk of contracting Covid-19 and suffering from complications of the illness. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that those with asthma and other respiratory issues are at a higher risk of complications from Covid-19, and smokers are more likely to exhibit asthma and other respiratory issues. Because of this, the WHO and other public health officials recommend that smokers take this opportunity to quit smoking for good.

  • RELX Sends Relief Supplies to Customers

    RELX Sends Relief Supplies to Customers

    RELX Technology announced the extension of the RELX “For You With Care” project to support its international partners during the COVID-19 crisis. RELX will initially send 78,200 masks and over 515 gallons of hand sanitizer to its global distributors, partners and store owners.

    The supplies will be sent to countries in Asia, Europe, Canada and South America. RELX will continue to follow the developments of COVID-19 globally and will send essential supplies to its partners and employees that are in need.

    “RELX is wholly committed to supporting the well-being of our employees, partners, and store owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a global startup, we are doing what we can to help our global community. We hope our modest donation will help them during these trying times,” said RELX founder and CEO Kate Wang.

    In late January, RELX kicked off the RELX For You With Care Project by donating RMB 1 million to the Institute of Psychology, China Academy of Science through the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation to support a training program designed to provide mental health support services.

  • Zimbabwe: Stakeholders to Discuss Tobacco Season

    Zimbabwe: Stakeholders to Discuss Tobacco Season

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Tobacco stakeholders will have an emergency meeting to discuss the opening of the tobacco market in Zimbabwe after initial proposed guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were rejected.

    The proposed opening date is April 22.

    Zimbabwe is currently under a 21-day lockdown due to Covid-19, which has set back preparations for the tobacco selling season. Plans need to be approved to prevent crowding on the tobacco selling floors that would aid in the spread of Covid-19, and computer systems may need to be adjusted to allow for growers to be a part of the process virtually—transparency is important to avoid tobacco being lost to middlemen. Precautions such as those implemented in Malawi would be necessary.

    The Ministry of Agriculture will decide whether it is plausible to open the market on April 22.

    Tobacco is one of Zimbabwe’s largest foreign currency earners.