Table 3.

Content analysis of the top retweets (N=1000)^a about COVID-19 and nicotine.

Coded category	Example	Top retweets, n (%)
Government criticism	MIKE PENCE: - His budget cuts in Indiana led to the spread of HIV there - Wrote articles about how smoking does NOT cause cancer - Calls global warming a myth - Was put in charge, by trump, of the Coronavirus response UNBELIEVABLE. #CoronaVirusUpdates	293 (29.3)
Personal responsibility	As COVID-19 attacks the lungs one of the most important things you can do is to quit smoking and vaping. I’m in day 3. Care to join?	149 (14.9)
Mask efficacy	Ok I recorded the recording because I know they will remove it... why?? Vape smoke is 2.5 microns... Covid is between 0.15-0.25 microns. Masks don’t do shit.	149 (14.9)
Protective role of nicotine	Nicotine could protect people from contracting the coronavirus, according to new research in France, where further trials are planned to test whether the substance could be used to prevent or treat the deadly illness	107 (10.7)
Discounting the pandemic’s impact	If they're going to report every Coronavirus death, I think they should have to report every: Flu Death Car Accident Death Smoking-related Death Alcohol Related Death . . . You get the point. ENOUGH WITH THE FEAR MONGERING	50 (5.0)
Social justice	imagine if the surgeon general announced a plan to bolster access to masks, testing, &; neighborhood health hubs for Black & Latinx people instead of telling us to not smoke &; drink to protect big momma'n'em. how do you blame people for being imperfect victims of a pandemic?	49 (4.9)

^aOf the 1000 posts, 2 independent coders double-coded 300 (30%) posts to establish reliability, after which the remaining 700 (70%) were divided evenly between the 2 coders.