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Smokers are almost certainly not protected from initial infection by SARS-CoV-2. In fact, because they first handle and then puff on cigarettes, they may be especially susceptible — for transmission often takes place through the mouth's mucous membranes. What seems to be happening is that infected smokers are less likely to develop symptoms, or, if they do develop them, are more likely than non-smokers to have symptoms which are mild. That means they are more likely to stay home and not to show up in hospital statistics.
All this suggests that something in tobacco smoke is having a protective effect. The best guess is that the something in question is nicotine. News of this hypothesis has spread like wildfire. To stop a run on nicotine chemically extracted from tobacco, which is taken in one form or another by many smokers who are trying to quit the habit, France's health ministry suspended online sales of the substance on April 24th. Purchases from pharmacies were limited to a month's supply per person. With encouragement from the health minister, the organisations behind the Pitié-Salpêtrière study, which include the Pasteur Institute and the Sorbonne, are preparing trials. The plan is to offer nicotine patches to covid-19 patients, front-line workers and ordinary citizens. How they fare will be compared with control groups given a placebo.
Comment: The world has been so thoroughly brainwashed about smoking that it's amusing to watch the authorities squirm when having to admit any beneficial effects from the practice, while still maintaining that it will definitely kill you. More research on the health benefits of tobacco: