OXFORD, England, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Covid fatigue has been blamed for a dramatic fall in the number of smokers giving up ahead of National No Smoking Day (March 10th). According to www.OxfordOnlinePharmacy.co.uk, prescriptions for stop smoking aids soared at the start of lockdown one, with figures for March almost three times as high as in the previous two years.
Lockdown three appears to have had the opposite effect with figures dipping below their pre covid numbers, in spite of evidence now confirming that those who smoke are more at risk of hospitalisation and even death from COVID-19.
Stuart Gale, owner and chief pharmacist at www.OxfordOnlinePharmacy.co.uk, explained: "In 2020, at the start of lockdown, we saw the numbers of prescriptions triple, as people turned to online sources to help them to stop smoking. This was part of a wider trend towards self improvement fuelled by a combination of factors including fear of the unknown - no one really knew what to expect with Covid and so they began to take positive steps towards getting healthier.
"Over the months this fear has been born out by research which has shown that all smokers have higher odds of poor outcomes due to the virus, and that those at highest risk are heavy smokers, defined as those smoking at least one pack per day for more than 30 years. We would anticipate that this would lead to another increase in people asking for help to quit, sadly this has not been the case."
According to Gale, the initial positive impact of COVID on lifestyle choices appears to have been overtaken by a sense of fatigue: "It has been a long winter. We're bored of Zoom, bored of baking and it would seem bored of stopping smoking, but with spring on the way there's renewed impetus to try again."
Dr Roisin McHugh, dedicated GP for Oxford Online Pharmacy explained: "Despite smokers being well aware of all the negative health affects from smoking, there is this strange denial I see in their approach to quitting. It is an attitude of "I will be ok" "it won't happen to me" "I have been a smoker for 30 years and I feel fit." The facts are simple; the hand to mouth action involved with smoking increases your chances of contracting COVID-19 and the virus is much more dangerous to those who already have impaired lung capacity.
"No Smoking Day provides the perfect opportunity to try again. Some smokers are too embarrassed to ask for help. They feel they are being a nuisance - but they absolutely are not. Research shows that you are two - three times more likely to succeed with stop smoking aides and every day that you stop smoking has a positive impact on your health. There is no denying that these are stressful times, but quitting is the only way to improve your health in a meaningful way and ensure that, should you contract the virus, you have the best chance of making a speedy recovery."
Notes to editors:
About Oxford Online Pharmacy
www.oxfordonlinepharmacy.co.uk is part of the Frosts Pharmacy Group which also comprises two bricks and mortar chemists in Oxfordshire.
