Tobacco causes 8 million deaths every year. When evidence was released this year that smokers were more likely to develop severe disease with Covid-19 compared to non-smokers, it pushed millions of smokers to want to quit tobacco, says the WHO. Quitting can be challenging, especially with the added social and economic stress of the pandemic — but there are many reasons to quit. After just 20 minutes of quitting, your heart rate drops. Within 12 hours, carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal; in 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease; in 5-15 years, your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker... the list is long. World No Tobacco Day (May 31) shines a light on why quitters are indeed winners.