Obesity a major risk factor for coronavirus: Doctors

PARIS (REUTERS): France’s chief epidemiologist has warned that obesity was a major risk for the people to get infected with the novel coronavirus.

The epidemiologist – Professor Jean-Franois Delfraissy – has informed that as many as 17 million people of France were seriously at risk from the coronavirus because of age, pre-existing illness of obesity.

“The deadly virus is terrible, it can hit young people, in particular obese young people. Those who are overweight really need to be careful,” he warned.

Commenting on the United States, the epidemiologist claimed that the country was particularly vulnerable because of high obesity levels there.

He further said, “That is why we’re worried about our friends in America, where the problem of obesity is well known.”

The epidemiologist also informed that 88 percent of those infected with the coronavirus suffered only severe flu-like symptoms.

Referring to the young people, he said, “The mortality rate for young people entering the hospital with severe COVID-19 respiratory disease was about 2 percent, but that rose to 14 percent for people who are more fragile.”

Commenting on France lockdown, he said that it was too soon to end lockdown, which started March 17 and is set to last until at least April 15.

So far, coronavirus has claimed lives of more than 88,000 people around the globe and has affected more than 1.5 million people. France is also one of the worst affected countries from coronavirus with more than 10,500 deaths.