The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is sharing discouraging news about the depth of our state’s teen e-cigarette use, commonly referred to as vaping. A look at the department’s just released bi-annual Healthy Kids Colorado Survey shows more than a quarter of teen responders say they’ve smoked liquid nicotine in the last 30 days. Even more troubling, this trend hasn’t changed significantly since 2015 – meaning education on the negative impacts of nicotine appears to be having little effect on our kids.

In the era of COVID-19, epidemic levels of youth vaping come with an elevated cause for concern. New research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found teens and young adults who vaped were as much as seven times more likely to contract COVID-19. Their research also suggests an elevated concern for public health with vapor plumes from a smoker infected with COVID-19 being easily inhaled by those in proximity and potentially making them sick. This news is the latest in a long list of health risks incurred by teen vapers.

Judd Dawson, DO, is a board certified family medicine physician offering the full spectrum of care for all ages, from newborns to seniors, addresses vaping as it relates to the pandemic.