Are overweight people responsible for most COVID-19 deaths?

More than a year into the pandemic, the healthcare and science communities have identified a number of risk factors that increase the likelihood of complications from COVID-19.

Among them, age, existing illness and being overweight or obese lead to the person increasing the risk of hospitalization and even death.

A recent report by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) introduced new links between obesity and COVID-19 results.

The statement

Shortly after the WOF released its findings, conservative fire-eater Jack Posobiec began tweeting, noting that “studies have now shown that most virus deaths come from people who have been overweight.”

The facts

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, there is no denying that obesity is a driving force between COVID-19-related deaths and other adverse effects. In fact, it could triple the risk of hospitalization.

The report released by the WOF this week found more worrying news about COVID-19 related to weight. With the analysis of data on obesity from Johns Hopkins University and the WHO Global Health Observatory, 2.2 million of the global 2.5 million COVID-19 deaths reported in February occurred in countries where more than half of the population is classified as overweight.

Data from more than 160 countries show a linear correlation between a country’s COVID mortality rate and obesity rate and found that no country with an obesity rate of less than 40 percent reported high mortality rates.

In Vietnam, for example, which has one of the lowest mortality rates, only about 18 percent of the population qualifies as overweight.

The United States, on the other hand, has an obesity rate of about 67 percent and ranks second in COVID-19 mortality rates overall at about 152 deaths per 100,000.

However, although the WOF report finds compelling evidence that countries with higher levels of obesity report the most COVID-19 deaths, it does not say that most virus deaths occurred in overweight people. Instead of looking at the cutting of the pie that forms overweight people in overall mortality, the study compares the current obesity rate and COVID-19 mortality rates.

The authors also acknowledge that the age structure, relative prosperity, and reporting ability of a country have an impact on COVID-19 cases.

The government

Untrue.

Obesity or obesity is a major cause of COVID-19 complications and mortality, but there are no numbers indicating that COVID-related deaths are common in this population.

The report released by the WOF found that there were linear correlations between a country’s COVID-19 mortality rate and the percentage of overweight adults. It did not break down the percentage of people who were overweight worldwide and also died from COVID-19.