No - the infection can be caught by anyone. However, people with underlying lung conditions might be more likely to a more severe infection than others and show symptoms of infection.

Follow the advice from your country’s health authorities. And for some general advice, see above section for “Summary of advice for people with lung conditions”.

Yes. The virus is caught from people that have the infection and so there is no problem in going outside by yourself, taking all the precautions.

So far, older age and the presence of underlying conditions - including lung conditions - have been risk factors for death.

There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted through smoke, but passive smoke exposure can still be harmful to people with lung conditions in other ways.

For patients with underlying lung conditions, we suggest limiting journeys as much as possible. Public transport with the fewest passengers or that limits your contact with potentially sick people is the best, but we recognise that some journeys are unavoidable.

Both you and your children should practice good hygiene and follow social distancing. Infection could cause problems in children if their lung condition is not under good control.

For patients with obstructive sleep apnoea and those who use CPAP should continue to use your treatment as normal.

We have learned that in about 50% of people who contract COVID-19, they experience no symptoms at all. Some people will experience a mild cold with running nose, sore muscles, fever and a cough. Because COPD patients have lung problems to begin with, they may be more likely to experience breathlessness with COVID-19.