CDC: Obese adults at higher risk for hospitalization, death from COVID-19.
March 8 (UPI) — Obese adults have a more than 60% higher risk for death from COVID-19 compared to those who have a healthy body weight, according to figures released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Severely overweight adults are also 33% more likely to be hospitalized with serious illness from the disease compared to those who maintain a healthy weight, the data showed.
“The findings in this report are similar to those from previous studies that indicate an increased risk for severe COVID-19-associated illness among persons with excess weight,” the CDC researchers wrote.
“The finding that risk for severe COVID-19-associated illness increases with higher [weight] suggests that progressively intensive management of COVID-19 might be needed for patients with more severe obesity,” they said.