COVID-19: Overweight People At Risk For Serious Illness Along With Those With Obesity, CDC Says

People who are merely overweight, not just those who are obese, may be at high risk of serious disease from COVID-19, according to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since nearly 40 percent of Americans are characterized as being obese and another 32 percent as being overweight, this means about two-thirds of Americans could face higher risks. For CDC data on obesity/overweight percentages, click here.

The CDC added the new advisory on Tuesday, Oct. 6 "to reflect recent data supporting increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19 among adults with COVID-19 who have obesity, who have overweight, or who smoke or have a history of smoking."

"The listed underlying medical conditions in children were also revised to indicate that these conditions might increase risk to better reflect the quality of available data currently," the CDC said. "This reflects the fact that there are less data available for children and does not imply that children are not at risk."

To read the new CDC guidance, click here.

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