COVID-19 and the Risk for Hookah Users

Abstract

After two years of the pandemic, there is still concern about COVID-19, mainly among non-vaccinated and specific groups such as patients at risk, particularly, a group of young people who may or may not be vaccinated and who are hookah users. These are exposed to trachea and lung damage considering that they use the equipment in closed places with little air exchange. Studies have shown that regular hookah users share the mouthpiece exchanging saliva and its contaminants; it well describes the presence of several bacteria in shared waterpipes, revealing potential biological hazards that may contribute to respiratory tract colonization, including case reports of patients with tuberculosis due to mouthpiece exchange. Although there is no research on the presence of coronavirus in hookah waterpipes, it was already proved that the virus is present in the self-collected saliva of 91.7% of patients with COVID-19. This coincidence may contribute to a much worse perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic in those locations.