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As SARS-CoV-2 spreads around the world, various hypotheses about factors involved in the spread of the virus are emerging, including the protective role of nicotine. However, it has been known for decades that patients with chronic psychiatric conditions are much more likely to smoke. It also appears that patients hospitalized in psychiatric institutions were, at the end of the lockdown period, much less affected by the coronavirus at the national level than professionals had feared.An observation was carried out in a unit dedicated to the care of infected patients in a hospital with psychiatric and follow-up care and rehabilitation activities, in a region severely impacted by the disease (Île-de-France): the nicotine theory is discussed and confirms the interest of including in research programs the examination of the specificities of patients under psychiatric care, as well as sustained attention to their somatic health condition. Psychotropic treatments could play a role in the mechanism of action of SARS-CoV-2.