The study is not the first to finger obesity as a culprit in Covid-19 deaths in younger people. Only 6 percent of the Chinese population is obese, compared with 20 percent of the population in Italy and 24 percent in Spain. The United States, by contrast, has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. (Someone who is 5’9’’ tall and weighs 270 pounds or more has a BMI of 40, according to federal guidelines.) A report issued by Public Health England concluded that overweight and obesity increased the risk of complications and death from Covid-19.

Source: New York Times August 14, 2020 17:32 UTC