r/Health – More than 200M Americans are at risk of severe COVID-19 because they have this condition

The World Obesity Federation (WOF) released a new study on obesity and COVID-19 a few days ago, showing a “dramatic correlation” between COVID-19 mortality and obesity. The death rate was 10 times higher in countries where more than 50% of the population is overweight, including the UK and US. In the US, 71.6% of the population is considered to be overweight, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The WOF found “not a single example internationally” of a country with low levels of obesity and a high COVID-19 death rate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new study of its own a few days ago that delivers similar conclusions. The authors analyzed the link between weight and COVID-19 severity, finding that overweight people also risk a potentially life-threatening version of COVID-19, not just people with obesity.