According to the World Obesity Federation, the death rate of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is ten times higher in countries with large obese populations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and John Hopkins University (JHU) analyzed a total of 2.5 million individuals who died from coronavirus. The study determined that almost 90% of the mortalities came from countries with a high obese populace. (The 2021 Atlas).
In the United States, nearly 70% of the adult population is overweight. Accordingly, the average number of COVID casualties is over 150 deaths per 100,000 people. In comparison, with less than a 20% obese populace, Vietnam only has an average of 0.04 deaths per 100,000 people.
How do Obesity and COVID-19 affect you?
Obesity or being overweight already causes problems like diabetes type 2, lung disease, and heart disease that ruin people’s health.
The combination of COVID 19 and Obesity raises these major risk factors, resulting in significantly higher rates of mortality and hospitalization.
Statistics
The University of North Carolina Research Team found the critical dangers of COVID-19 transmitting more to overweight individuals.
- 113% of overweight people are more likely to go to the hospital for SARS-CoV-2 infection
- 74% are more likely to end up in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- 48% are more likely to die from COVID
Why Weight Loss is Important
While weight control does not affect how COVID-19 is spread, obesity does increase the fatal risks of the Novel Coronavirus. For example, the diaphragm controls breathing and is already restricted by excess fat pressing against it. This makes it even harder for overweight individuals to breathe with COVID-19.
What is the biggest concern with Obesity and COVID-19?
The biggest problem for overweight and obese adults is the body’s cells. Blood cells damaged by COVID-19 can increase the chances of getting a stroke and COVID toes.
One study “noted that the mortality rate was 44.4% for stroke patients with COVID-19 compared to 7.6% for those without COVID-19.”
At the same time, the coronavirus thrives in individuals with elevated fat cell levels, which act as storage for the virus.
What should you do if you’re overweight?
Both overweight and healthy individuals should wear masks, wash their hands properly, and keep their distance when in public. If they are feeling sick and haven’t taken the COVID-19 test, it is crucial to stay home and follow public health guidelines from the center for disease control and prevention.
Be cautious of weight management and try different weight loss methods such as healthy eating and physical activity. Consider weight-loss surgeries such as gastric sleeve (VSG) for more severe cases. The health benefits of losing weight are important to disease control and prevention, even after the COVID-19 vaccination.
Learn more about the treatment of obesity and COVID-19 at: