COVID-19:  Vaping linked to COVID-19 risk in teens and young adults

August 11, 2020:  According to a new study, among young people tested for COVID-19, those who vaped were five to seven times more likely to be infected than those who did not use e-cigarettes.  “Teens and young adults need to know that if you use e-cigarettes, you are likely at immediate risk of COVID-19 because you are damaging your lungs,” said the study’s senior author, Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, professor of pediatrics.

According to the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey, nearly one in five high school students (19.6%) use e-cigarettes, with nearly forty percent of them (38.9%) doing so on 20 or more of the past 30 days.  Santa Rosa City Schools, through a Tobacco Grant from the California Department of Justice, is working to educate and prevent tobacco use among our students.  This website serves as a community resource.  If you would like additional information not provided here, please contact Cindy Beurtheret, Tobacco Intervention and Prevention, at cbeurtheret@srcs.k12.ca.us. 

General Information

• FAQs about E-Cigarettes (FAQS Español) 
• Vaping Myths & Realities (Mitos y Realidades Español)
• Signs that Someone May be Vaping (Señales que de alguien puede estar vapeando)

Parent Presentations

• Vaping 101 by Cindy Beurtheret, Santa Rosa City Schools (in English & Spanish)
• The Vaping Phenomenon - What it is, Why it happened, and What we can do about it,  a webinar by Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, Executive Director of Stanford's Tobacco Prevention Toolkit and Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Toolkit
• "How Does The Pandemic Effect the Conversation on Smoking?"  Your Teen for Parents magazine interview with Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, Executive Director of Stanford's Tobacco Prevention Toolkit. 

Talk with Your Teen

• Nicotine=Brain Poison, A Guide on How to Talk to Kids, English / Una Guía Cómo hablar con los niños Español
• Talk with your teen about E-cigarettes:  A Tip Sheet for Parents, English / Hoja Con Consejos Español
• Talk About Vaping, a guide for adults to talk to teens about vaping from the American Lung Association
• Top Ten Refusal Skills for Teens

E-Cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI)

• Lung Injuries - Most Recent Statistics & Information from the CDC  (Brote de lesión pulmonar Español)
  As of Feb. 18, 2020, 2807 patients hospitalized and 68 deaths reported.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic, data has not been updated since this date.

Resources to Quit Vaping or Smoking

• #QUITVAPING / #DEJADEVAPEAR
• MyLifeMyQuit
• Go Smoke-Free/Vape-Free, Reducing Your Risks for Covid-19 from Stanford Medicine
• Resources to Quit Smoking/Vaping English / Deja de Vapear Español from the California Smokers' Helpline
• Quit Resources from the California Youth Advocacy Network / Aplicaciones y Recursos para Dejar Los Vapeadores y El Tabaco 
• QUIT Card from Sonoma County Tobacco/Nicotine Cessation Resources/ Recursos para dejar de fumar tabaco/nicotina del Condado de Sonoma

Websites for more information about Vaping/E-cigarettes

Videos organized by topic