In 2000 Philip Morris in the Czech Republic commissioned a report that confirmed that smoking has a positive benefit on the cost of healthcare. The study found that smoking kills before other morbidities that require expensive treatment take hold, so saving the financial burden on the taxpayer[1]Public Finance Balance of Smoking in the Czech Republic. The story made international headlines: Philip Morris had publicly announced that Smoking Kills, and that they really did not care.
In the long term, COVID-19 will have the same effect as smoking. Data coming out of Israel, Iceland and the United Kingdom confirm that the vaccine is not the panacea we were promised[2]Don’t Panic, But Breakthrough Cases May Be a Bigger Problem Than You’ve Been Told. People who have been vaccinated are being infected, and some of them are dying.
The vaccination does not prevent infection. With vaccination, the need for hospitalisation and the potential for mortality is significantly reduced, but people who have co-morbidities will continue to die[3]Don’t Panic, But Breakthrough Cases May Be a Bigger Problem Than You’ve Been Told. People with cancer, respiratory ailments, obesity, and type 2 diabetes are those who will continue to be at risk.
There are effective treatments, particularly Ivermectin[4]Ivermectin for COVID-19: real-time meta analysis of 63 studies, which reduce the incidence of mortality, but cannot eliminate it entirely.
Of course, the other option is to lead a lifestyle that avoids the potential for the illnesses that make people vulnerable to COVID-19: regular exercise and a healthy diet[5]Switzerland’s healthcare problem.
