Wildfire smoke could make people vulnerable to infections like COVID-19

Air quality during wildfire season may present another challenge during the coronavirus pandemic.

Poor air quality and inhaled smoke can make people more vulnerable to infections, such as COVID-19, that affect the lungs and could cause more damage to people who are recovering from the virus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, groups of people at increased risk of harmful effects from smoke inhalation include children under 18, adults over the age of 65, people with chronic health conditions or immunocompromised, and outdoor workers.

Regular cloth masks will not provide protection from wildlife smoke, but N95 respirators may be hard to find.

While smoke inhalation and COVID-19 do share some common symptoms such as dry cough, shortness of breath and sore throat, other symptoms such as fever, chills and aches are coronavirus symptoms not linked to smoke inhalation.

Health officials recommend prepping your house to reduce smoke intake by increasing your HVAC filtration, using an air cleaner with a HEPA filter and making a box fan filter. More information on each preparation can be found on the county website.

More local air quality information is available from the Northwest Clear Air Agency.