Obesity increases the risk of dying from Covid-19 by almost 50 per cent, according to new research.
The University of North Carolina study has found people with a BMI of over 30 are also twice as likely to be hospitalised by the virus.
More than 815,000 people across the world have died from coronavirus since the outbreak began.
Professor Luke O’Neill from Trinity College, says obese people are under the same level threat from the virus as the elderly:
“They spotted obesity very early on as a risk, there’s a big risk if your obese and low and behind now, a huge number of patients showed a 48% increase of death”.
“If you’re obese, thats very high, it’s almost as like if you’re in your 70’s or 80’s, at any age, obesity carries the same risk as ageing” he said.
