Alcohol Can Worsen Effects Of Coronavirus, WHO Now Recommends Restricting Access

The World Health Organization is recommending that government leaders around the world limit access to alcohol during the coronavirus lockdowns.

According to CNBC, the WHO now reveals that drinking alcohol can actually increase your risk of catching the dreaded COVID-19 and worsen the effects if you do get it.

Earlier this week, The WHO’s regional office for Europe cited heavy alcohol use throughout the continent. It said, “Alcohol compromises the body’s immune system and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes.”

Alcohol consumption is associated with a number of communicable and noncommunicable diseases that can increase a person’s vulnerability to contracting COVID-19. The use of alcohol can also exacerbate mental health issues and risk-taking behavior and stoke violence, especially in countries that have implemented social distancing measures that have largely forced to keep the population quarantined in their homes.

The WHO also published a fact sheet aiming to dispel the “dangerous myth that consuming high-strength alcohol can kill” the coronavirus.

“It does not,” the WHO said, adding that it can actually result in serious health issues, including death, especially if it’s adulterated with methanol.

Doctors have already advised that smoking cannabis and tobacco leads to inflammation in the lungs, which makes them more sensitive and less able to fight off the virus if it enters the body, which is extremely important as COVID-19 is known to attack the respiratory system and can develop into viral pneumonia in the most severe cases.⠀⠀⠀⠀

Coronavirus has a more severe effect on smokers because their lung function is already impaired.

The WHO also encourages people to quit tobacco use for their overall health, stressing there has never been a more important time to give up smoking.

“During this difficult time, it’s important to continue looking after your physical and mental health. This will not only help you in the long term, but it will also help you fight COVID-19 if you get it,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.