# Covid-19 and obesity **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [May 8, 2020, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373 "2020-05-08T01:31:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/1 "2020-05-08T01:31:36Z")
A entire long Island town has gone on a diet. I can see the logic of improving your health as much as possible. Try to be ready for the next predicted round of Covid-19 later this summer. There’s still no guarantee that a trip to the ICU isn’t in our future. But current research indicates you have a better chance of avoiding a ventilator. > **[Coronavirus News: Long Island battles 'quarantine 15' with town-wide diet](https://abc7ny.com/amp/huntington-diet-quarantine-15-weight-gain-coronavirus-long-island/6156497/)** > > A lack of exercise and poor eating habits associated with stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic are plaguing many residents, with some dubbing the weight gain the "quarantine 15." > [@](#): > > Suffolk County Health Committee Chair Legislator Dr. William Spencer and Huntington Clerk Andrew Raia joined Huntington Hospital’s Director of Bariatric Surgery Dr. David Buchin Wednesday to unveil the details of the program, aimed to get people healthier so that if they catch the virus, they’ll increase their chances of survival. > > “Set a new lifestyle for yourself, take the necessary steps to turn things around,” Raja said. “Because this virus is going to be with us for some time.” There’s a lot of information out there on the link between Covid-19 and obesity. The 2nd quote I included is from this WebMd article. > **[Coronavirus (COVID-19) Overview](https://www.webmd.com/covid/coronavirus)** > > COVID-19 is a new type of coronavirus that causes mild to severe cases. Here’s a quick guide on how to spot symptoms, risk factors, prevent spread of the disease, and find out what to do if you think you have it. > **[COVID-19 is hitting some patients with obesity particularly hard](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid19-obesity-risk-factor)** > > Doctors say some of their sickest COVID-19 patients are young and obese. One study shows they have higher rates of hospital admission and death. > **[Latest evidence on obesity and COVID-19](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/latest-evidence-on-obesity-and-covid-19)** > > New research reviews the current evidence of a link between obesity and the severity of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. > [@](#): > > “This knowledge should help front-line providers characterize which patients likely need a closer eye on them in terms of follow-up,” Petrilli says. “Our study is not saying only obese patients are hospitalized, require ventilation, intensive care, or that they die, but we do know there is a higher likelihood of those things.” > > “The message for doctors and hospitals is: If you are assessing a patient and are on the fence between sending them home or admitting them into the hospital, you should lean towards bringing that patient into the hospital if they are obese because we know they have an increased chance of ending up in the ICU,” Seoane says. “In addition, doctors should be educating our patients that they are high-risk for developing severe complications from COVID-19 and should take extra precautions not to contract the disease.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/2 "2020-05-08T01:38:49Z")
The CDC finally clarified about what they mean by “obesity.” They say one’s risk increases at a [BMI of 40](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/groups-at-higher-risk.html), which isn’t “just” obese, but severely obese. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/3 "2020-05-08T01:47:34Z")
I’ve dusted off my dumb bells and other equipment. Watching my portion size and cut back on beer & desserts. I’m doing what I can without overreacting with a crash diet. That’s never a good idea. My wife and I limiting my exercise to light weights, jumping rope, long walks outside and still follow the social distancing guidelines. Our goal is to gradually increase our over all fitness without injury. Definitely don’t want any trips to the doctor or ER right now. Do as much as we can to be ready. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/4 "2020-05-09T04:10:12Z")
The first identified fatality in my region was a woman who I’m sure weighed over 400 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Mirtha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mirtha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirtha)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/5 "2020-05-09T14:27:19Z")
I just thought it was because obese patients were alot of work: get another staffer to lift/help; get a big commode but find one first, ditto for scales. Timeliness is critical with critical care, and with obese patients, a delay is inevitable at some point. There’s also a perception that if an obese person did this to themselves, then their health isn’t priority anyway. In response, the care won’t be top-notch. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/6 "2020-05-09T17:03:55Z")
The prognosis for patients with a high BMI is pretty grim. bolding is mine. > [@](#): > > Lighter and her colleagues found that **patients under 60 with a BMI over 35 were at least twice as likely to be admitted to the ICU for coronavirus than patients with healthy BMIs, the researchers report April 9 in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Those same patients were three times more likely to die from the infection than those with a lower BMI, she says.** > > The team tracked 3,615 people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at a New York City hospital from March 4 to April 4. Of those, 1,370, or 38 percent, were obese. In patients over 60, weight did not appear to be a factor in hospital admission or the need for intensive care, she says. > > A hospital in Lille, France, also found that **the higher the BMI, the more likely a patient needed to be ventilated. Of 124 patients admitted to intensive care for COVID-19, almost half were obese or severely obese, researchers report April 9 in Obesity. Of the 85 patients who were intubated, nearly 90 percent had a BMI over 35, the data show** ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/7 "2020-05-09T17:17:01Z")
That’s from > **[COVID-19 is hitting some patients with obesity particularly hard](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid19-obesity-risk-factor)** > > Doctors say some of their sickest COVID-19 patients are young and obese. One study shows they have higher rates of hospital admission and death. Surgeons often recommend patients improve their health before elective surgery. I spent a couple months getting ready for my last surgery. Unfortunately Covid-19 doesn’t give that kind of early warning. It feeds off the older and less healthy individuals. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/8 "2020-05-09T18:46:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > That’s from > [https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid19-obesity-risk-factor](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid19-obesity-risk-factor) > > Surgeons often recommend patients improve their health before elective surgery. I spent a couple months getting ready for my last surgery. > > Unfortunately Covid-19 doesn’t give that kind of early warning. It feeds off the older and less healthy individuals. I have personally known several people who could not get joint replacements until they got their weight down to a certain point, mainly because they would not benefit from it unless they did. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-and-obesity/853373/9 "2020-05-09T20:00:33Z")
The COVID / starlet diet: Watercress salad with vinegarette. Clear broth. Fingernails. Your prospects will improve.