According to a report published by the Israel Cancer Association (ICA), the Coronavirus caused more than half of Israeli smokers to consider quitting. The report stated that 51 percent of Israelis who smoke between the ages of 18 and 24, considered quitting due to the Coronavirus. Almost half, some 49.2 percent, reported smoking far less than they did prior to the outbreak of the virus.

The report, which was published on Sunday to mark the global “No Tobacco Day”, surprised many. However, the same results were not true for Israeli Arabs. The report showed that nearly a third of all Israeli Arabs (31 percent) said that someone in their family began smoking during the crisis. Among the Jewish population, that number was only 8 percent.

The report showed that while a lot of people smoke inside their own homes, during the crisis, 61 percent of people refused to smoke inside and only smoked on their porches or in their cars.

According to the ICA, some 80,000 people in Israel died from smoking-related illnesses such as lung cancer, throat cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attacks or strokes in the last decade.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)