Caller · moment 11 of 20
Long-Term Lung Damage and Dry vs. Wet Coughs
from Emergency Broadcast - Corona Call-Ins #2 · #2
2 min
Caller
John speculates on lasting lung damage from the virus and clarifies that a wet, phlegmy cough doesn't mean you're free of COVID.
- Smoking anything—weed, cigarettes, vaping—damages the lining of your lungs and the alveoli, the small air sacs.
- Tim asks what lasting effects people report after recovering from COVID.
- The virus causes trauma to your lungs, reducing functional residual capacity as white blood cells flood in to defend against the infection.
- A dry cough means nothing is there—no moisture in your lungs—while a wet cough produces phlegm.
- A wet cough doesn't mean you don't have COVID; you could be coughing up phlegm and still have the virus.