Anxiety tied to COVID-19 is spurring spikes in stress-reducing habits. But in the case of self-soothing via smoking tobacco and marijuana as well as vaping, the coronavirus is serving up ample reason to taper or quit. Medical experts are warning that these habits appear to result in more susceptibility since the virus attacks the lungs.

Underscoring the potential danger, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Chinese coronavirus patients who smoked were more than twice as likely as those who didn’t to have severe infections. Clean air alone is what the lungs should be inhaling, especially during this global pandemic.

Cutting corners to get that haircut

The trending DIY preoccupation in the coronavirus age: cutting hair. Now that salons and barbershops are defined as nonessential businesses and shuttered, Hawaii residents are becoming … desperate.

Surely some stylists are working on the down-low. Local want-ads are posted on Craigslist, seeking that service. And some clients have their own way of reaching out to their favorite cutters.

But many families are just doing their best with whatever clippers they can find. Good luck with that.