Prevention of the spread of respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can also prevent cardiovascular deaths

Cardiovascular conditions are responsible for more deaths than any other cause in Australia, so prevention is a critical objective in both primary care and public health practice. The very well–established reversible risk factors for cardiac disease include smoking, lack of exercise, poorly controlled diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol (Table 1). Experience and data from the COVID-19 pandemic now suggest we could add to the list of modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular death: respiratory pathogens.