NY Times: Extra Pounds May Raise Risk of Severe Covid-19

Public health officials now warn that even moderately overweight people, not only obese people, are at higher risk of developing severe symptoms when infected with COVID-19. Forty percent of adult Americans are obese, while an additional 32 percent are overweight. As a result, nearly three-quarters of Americans are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms if infected. Dr. Popkin, a nutritionist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, suggests that obese people are twice as likely to be hospitalized with the coronavirus. Other chronic diseases that come with obesity, such as kidney and heart problems, also increase the risk of contracting severe COVID-19. For the full article, click here.