Smoking causes more than 8 million deaths every year1. Recent studies suggest that smokers suffer more severely and have worse outcomes from COVID-192,3, highlighting that evidence-based practices to support patients to quit smoking should be a public health priority1. COVID-19 may be an emergency, however we should not suspend our vigilance against Tobacco Industry’s (TI) subversive tactics used to improve its image through corporate social responsibility activities4. To identify any ‘goodwill’ tactics or new TI campaigns promoting ‘safer’ products during the pandemic, the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) distributed an online questionnaire among its members around Europe. Responses were received from 22 countries, 14 (63.6%) of which reported some kind of country-specific TI interference during the pandemic.
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