Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #77

[JerseyGirl]

Temple University suspends in-person classes amid coronavirus outbreak

SUNY Oneonta Closes For 2 Weeks After Spike In Coronavirus Cases

Auburn down 16 players for virus-related issues

Elevated levels of COVID-19 found in wastewater at 4 Utah State dorms

 

[JerseyGirl]

Emails Show Chaos and Confusion at Ole Miss Over Coronavirus Exposure

When the email ordering them into quarantine on Tuesday night began pinging phones up and down the 10th floor of Martin, a freshman dorm at the University of Mississippi, some of the women who lived there were just getting into their beds.

They didn’t stay in them for long. Three students on the hall had tested positive for coronavirus. The email said the other residents of those halls would need to be out of their dorms and in quarantine by the next day.

Although the COVID-19 addendum to the housing contracts they’d signed that summer had included the option for students to quarantine in campus housing, some students interpreted that email as telling them to find their own housing for the next 14 days. “It is important you consult with your family to consider your options for quarantine,” the letter said.

“Lots of girls [were] crying because they had nowhere to go. I was up till 3 a.m. packing my car because I didn’t know when I would have to leave,” the student added.

The impression was reinforced when students got through to student housing the next morning, and they were urged to return home to their families or move off-campus. Remaining in a quarantine site on campus was listed as another option, but conversations with students and faculty suggest that they felt pressured to get out.

“They definitely advised us to go home,” the freshman in Martin said.

An email sent the next morning backed up the students’ interpretation. As the third day of classes got underway on Wednesday, an associate professor of sociology, fired off an email to the university’s top officials, saying that several students told him that campus housing, when they finally got through to the office, had urged them to either move off-campus or return to their families.

 

[tresir2012]

The article I linked didn't reference the UK.

Oh thanks. I did wonder about that. Perhaps @10ofRods can explain what was being referenced regarding UK obesity.

Emails Show Chaos and Confusion at Ole Miss Over Coronavirus Exposure

When the email ordering them into quarantine on Tuesday night began pinging phones up and down the 10th floor of Martin, a freshman dorm at the University of Mississippi, some of the women who lived there were just getting into their beds.

They didn’t stay in them for long. Three students on the hall had tested positive for coronavirus. The email said the other residents of those halls would need to be out of their dorms and in quarantine by the next day.

Although the COVID-19 addendum to the housing contracts they’d signed that summer had included the option for students to quarantine in campus housing, some students interpreted that email as telling them to find their own housing for the next 14 days. “It is important you consult with your family to consider your options for quarantine,” the letter said.

“Lots of girls [were] crying because they had nowhere to go. I was up till 3 a.m. packing my car because I didn’t know when I would have to leave,” the student added.

The impression was reinforced when students got through to student housing the next morning, and they were urged to return home to their families or move off-campus. Remaining in a quarantine site on campus was listed as another option, but conversations with students and faculty suggest that they felt pressured to get out.

“They definitely advised us to go home,” the freshman in Martin said.

An email sent the next morning backed up the students’ interpretation. As the third day of classes got underway on Wednesday, an associate professor of sociology, fired off an email to the university’s top officials, saying that several students told him that campus housing, when they finally got through to the office, had urged them to either move off-campus or return to their families.

How ridiculous. Wouldn't it have been easier to send the 3 Covid students home or to the quarantine block and monitor the others? Seems pointless.

 

[10ofRods]

Since the 1980's, there's research showing that the US and UK lead other nations in terms of obesity (US is the #1 nation within the Western industrialized world)

While as many as 50% of Americans are obese, UK's figures are rising. In 2011, 33% of English men were obese (citations) below, today it's approach 40% - so catching up with the US.

England is described in the scientific literature as having some of the worst figures for obesity in Europe.

There's also a ton of MSM literature on the topic (thousands of articles).

By 2008, 25% of UK adults were obese, but alarming, obesity was on the rise among children (as in the US):

The rising prevalence of obesity: part A: impact on public health

^general information, published around 2017; was originally published in the International Journal of Surgery, Oncology

Prevalence of obesity: a comparative survey in France, the United Kingdom and the United States - PubMed

^ Shows how in 1992, there was not such a big problem - but US and UK are already leading the pack

Obesity rates in UK correlate with reflux (and are twice the levels of Sweden)

Obesity in military males over 35 in UK is ~25%. (this is interesting, since typically members of the military are more fit and lean than the rest of the population)

Rise in obesity in UK leads to concerns about major health problems

Obesity in UK @ 27% in 2017, 35% in US; UK rates rising faster

Overweight is of course a different category - figures just above are for obesity (BMI greater than 30) and do not include overweight. For the purposes of looking at CoVid, obesity is a much greater risk than merely being overweight. Risk starts to climb at a BMI of 30, and pretty much takes off at a BMI of 35. ]

BMI calculator

Not surprisingly, US mortality from CoVid trends younger, since obesity begins in childhood in the US (as it does in the UK - although the US has a greater problem with childhood obesity).

I don't have time to cut and post all the many studies on obesity as a risk factor in CoVid, but it's easily found by Google.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Emails Show Chaos and Confusion at Ole Miss Over Coronavirus Exposure

When the email ordering them into quarantine on Tuesday night began pinging phones up and down the 10th floor of Martin, a freshman dorm at the University of Mississippi, some of the women who lived there were just getting into their beds.

They didn’t stay in them for long. Three students on the hall had tested positive for coronavirus. The email said the other residents of those halls would need to be out of their dorms and in quarantine by the next day.

Although the COVID-19 addendum to the housing contracts they’d signed that summer had included the option for students to quarantine in campus housing, some students interpreted that email as telling them to find their own housing for the next 14 days. “It is important you consult with your family to consider your options for quarantine,” the letter said.

“Lots of girls [were] crying because they had nowhere to go. I was up till 3 a.m. packing my car because I didn’t know when I would have to leave,” the student added.

The impression was reinforced when students got through to student housing the next morning, and they were urged to return home to their families or move off-campus. Remaining in a quarantine site on campus was listed as another option, but conversations with students and faculty suggest that they felt pressured to get out.

“They definitely advised us to go home,” the freshman in Martin said.

An email sent the next morning backed up the students’ interpretation. As the third day of classes got underway on Wednesday, an associate professor of sociology, fired off an email to the university’s top officials, saying that several students told him that campus housing, when they finally got through to the office, had urged them to either move off-campus or return to their families.

Return to their families? To expose them?

Perhaps better if the instructions been very clear and specific - go to a designated campus place to quarantine. Or a designated off campus housing unit already set up? Have a 24/7 hotline set up for students. What a mess.

 

[tresir2012]

Latest on the Tui flight *advertiser censored*-up.

Sounds dreadful.

One passenger has flown 11 times in the last 6 weeks :-( ???

'Covidiots' criticised on Tui quarantine flight

 

[MimosaMornings]

Coronavirus outbreak at Maine church prompts investigation by state CDC — Fox News

“I went to the wedding. I officiated the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding," Bell told the congregation Sunday, according to the news outlet's report. "Six families from our church went there. We never expected to get COVID. Nobody expected to experience the things that happened because you went to a beautiful thing like that.”

No masks.
No social distancing.
Indoors.
70+ people
Weddings and receptions are exempt from Covid.

Really?
It boggles my mind.
(Maybe there needs to be required Covid classes for churches?)
What did they expect to happen during a pandemic?

 

[tresir2012]

Since the 1980's, there's research showing that the US and UK lead other nations in terms of obesity (US is the #1 nation within the Western industrialized world)

While as many as 50% of Americans are obese, UK's figures are rising. In 2011, 33% of English men were obese (citations) below, today it's approach 40% - so catching up with the US.

England is described in the scientific literature as having some of the worst figures for obesity in Europe.

There's also a ton of MSM literature on the topic (thousands of articles).

By 2008, 25% of UK adults were obese, but alarming, obesity was on the rise among children (as in the US):

The rising prevalence of obesity: part A: impact on public health

^general information, published around 2017; was originally published in the International Journal of Surgery, Oncology

Prevalence of obesity: a comparative survey in France, the United Kingdom and the United States - PubMed

^ Shows how in 1992, there was not such a big problem - but US and UK are already leading the pack

Obesity rates in UK correlate with reflux (and are twice the levels of Sweden)

Obesity in military males over 35 in UK is ~25%. (this is interesting, since typically members of the military are more fit and lean than the rest of the population)

Rise in obesity in UK leads to concerns about major health problems

Obesity in UK @ 27% in 2017, 35% in US; UK rates rising faster

Overweight is of course a different category - figures just above are for obesity (BMI greater than 30) and do not include overweight. For the purposes of looking at CoVid, obesity is a much greater risk than merely being overweight. Risk starts to climb at a BMI of 30, and pretty much takes off at a BMI of 35. ]

BMI calculator

Not surprisingly, US mortality from CoVid trends younger, since obesity begins in childhood in the US (as it does in the UK - although the US has a greater problem with childhood obesity).

I don't have time to cut and post all the many studies on obesity as a risk factor in CoVid, but it's easily found by Google.

TY for posting the links. I notice the military was based on BMI but if they have a lot of muscle from being fit that could also affect their BMI. The other two studies were reflux and liver transplant patients rather than a random study.

The Telegraph states that UK is 6th in the world for obesity so we are not top or even 2nd thankfully. I agree it is a problem though and diet and exercise are important as well as possible diabetes as an underlying cause, which is a concern regarding Covid.

So I Googled. It shows the below results with quite a few countries higher that US and UK.

Most Obese Countries 2020


Country Obesity Rate BMI Population 2020

American Samoa 74.60% 34.9 55,191
Tokelau 74.40% 1,357
Nauru 61.00% 32.5 10,824
Cook Islands 55.90% 33 17,564
Palau 55.30% 29.4 18,094
Marshall Islands 52.90% 29.2 59,190
Tuvalu 51.60% 29.3 11,792
Niue 50.00% 1,626
Tonga 48.20% 31.9 105,695
Samoa 47.30% 31.7 198,414
Kiribati 46.00% 29.6 119,449
Micronesia 45.80% 29.4 115,023
Aruba 38.20% 106,766
Kuwait 37.90% 30 4,270,571
Cayman Islands 36.60% 65,722
United States 36.20% 28.8 331,002,651
British Virgin Islands 35.50% 30,231
Jordan 35.50% 28.9 10,203,134
Saudi Arabia 35.40% 28.5 34,813,871
Qatar 35.10% 29.2 2,881,053
Bermuda 34.40% 62,278
Guam 34.30% 168,775
French Polynesia 33.10% 280,908
Curacao 33.00% 164,093
Puerto Rico 32.90% 2,860,853
United States Virgin Islands 32.50% 104,425
Libya 32.50% 27.7 6,871,292
Turkey 32.10% 27.8 84,339,067
Egypt 32.00% 29.2 102,334,404
Lebanon 32.00% 27.8 6,825,445
United Arab Emirates 31.70% 28.8 9,890,402
Bahamas 31.60% 28.4 393,244
New Caledonia 31.50% 285,498
New Zealand 30.80% 27.9 4,822,233
Iraq 30.40% 28 40,222,493
Fiji 30.20% 27.2 896,445
Macau 30.00% 649,335
Hong Kong 29.90% 7,496,981
Bahrain 29.80% 28.2 1,701,575
Canada 29.40% 27.2 37,742,154
Northern Mariana Islands 29.20% 57,559
Australia 29.00% 27.2 25,499,884
Mexico 28.90% 28.1 128,932,753
Malta 28.90% 27.2 441,543
Argentina 28.30% 27.7 45,195,774
South Africa 28.30% 27.3 59,308,690
Chile 28.00% 27.8 19,116,201
Uruguay 27.90% 26.8 3,473,730
Dominica 27.90% 27 71,986
United Kingdom 27.80% 27.3 67,886,011

List continues at link.

UK is 50th.
US, Australia, NZ, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico plus 43 other countries are higher.

 

[Clair Louise]

Coronavirus outbreak at Maine church prompts investigation by state CDC — Fox News

“I went to the wedding. I officiated the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding," Bell told the congregation Sunday, according to the news outlet's report. "Six families from our church went there. We never expected to get COVID. Nobody expected to experience the things that happened because you went to a beautiful thing like that.”

No masks.
No social distancing.
Indoors.
70+ people
Weddings and receptions are exempt from Covid.

Really?
It boggles my mind.

Not only does the virus have no politics or nationality, it has no religion, either.

 

[10ofRods]

Here's one more MSM article about the obesity topic in UK:

Government believes as many as 60% of UK adults are overweight in 2020, ⅓ are obese, making for "Coronavirus nightmare"

It's certainly playing a role in comparative mortality rates for CoVid, so when looking at the top 10 nations on a per capita basis, it's not surprising that both UK and US are in the top 10. Other factors obviously play a role.

 

[10ofRods]

TY for posting the links. I notice the military was based on BMI but if they have a lot of muscle from being for that could also affect their BMI. The other two studies were reflux and liver transplant patients rather than a random study.

The Telegraph states that UK is 6th in the world for obesity so we are not top or even 2nd thankfully. I agree it is a problem though and diet and exercise are important as well as possible diabetes as an underlying cause, which is a concern regarding Covid.

So I Googled. It shows the below results with quite a few countries higher that US and UK.

Most Obese Countries 2020

American Samoa 74.60% 34.9 55,191
Tokelau 74.40% 1,357
Nauru 61.00% 32.5 10,824
Cook Islands 55.90% 33 17,564
Palau 55.30% 29.4 18,094
Marshall Islands 52.90% 29.2 59,190
Tuvalu 51.60% 29.3 11,792
Niue 50.00% 1,626
Tonga 48.20% 31.9 105,695
Samoa 47.30% 31.7 198,414
Kiribati 46.00% 29.6 119,449
Micronesia 45.80% 29.4 115,023
Aruba 38.20% 106,766
Kuwait 37.90% 30 4,270,571
Cayman Islands 36.60% 65,722
United States 36.20% 28.8 331,002,651
British Virgin Islands 35.50% 30,231
Jordan 35.50% 28.9 10,203,134
Saudi Arabia 35.40% 28.5 34,813,871
Qatar 35.10% 29.2 2,881,053
Bermuda 34.40% 62,278
Guam 34.30% 168,775
French Polynesia 33.10% 280,908
Curacao 33.00% 164,093
Puerto Rico 32.90% 2,860,853
United States Virgin Islands 32.50% 104,425
Libya 32.50% 27.7 6,871,292
Turkey 32.10% 27.8 84,339,067
Egypt 32.00% 29.2 102,334,404
Lebanon 32.00% 27.8 6,825,445
United Arab Emirates 31.70% 28.8 9,890,402
Bahamas 31.60% 28.4 393,244
New Caledonia 31.50% 285,498
New Zealand 30.80% 27.9 4,822,233
Iraq 30.40% 28 40,222,493
Fiji 30.20% 27.2 896,445
Macau 30.00% 649,335
Hong Kong 29.90% 7,496,981
Bahrain 29.80% 28.2 1,701,575
Canada 29.40% 27.2 37,742,154
Northern Mariana Islands 29.20% 57,559
Australia 29.00% 27.2 25,499,884
Mexico 28.90% 28.1 128,932,753
Malta 28.90% 27.2 441,543
Argentina 28.30% 27.7 45,195,774
South Africa 28.30% 27.3 59,308,690
Chile 28.00% 27.8 19,116,201
Uruguay 27.90% 26.8 3,473,730
Dominica 27.90% 27 71,986
United Kingdom 27.80% 27.3 67,886,011

The point isn't who is fattest.

The point is that when the pandemic hit two industrialized nations with many hospitals and doctors, despite the medical advantage, two of those industrialized nations are high on the list for CoVid fatalies.

Also, be sure to add in "overweight" as well as "obesity. The first 10 or 12 on your list are also known to have a particular gene related to that obesity, which is in and of itself a separate variable in this story. Further, there are class differences in some of those societies.

In the US and UK, obesity and overweight are higher in lower income communities (whereas in Saudi Arabia, that's not true). So, it's a double whammy. Obese and overweight people have more epithelial cells and more propensity to damage.

Those island nations you listed? They're terrified of getting CoVid and are doing their best to remain CoVid free - but due to travel from the West, it's creeping in and the death tolls may be quite high, per capita, if social measures are not taken.

At any rate, it used to be said that the UK and US both have good healthcare, tons of PCR machines, incredible research institutes, etc., etc - so obesity pops out like a sore thumb as the major comorbidity of CoVid.

Which was the topic, rather than "who is fattest."

 

[10ofRods]

PS, for Covid, BMI is BMI (and for the military, they used a baseline of the male military men's original weight - when they joined). If you think the over 35 set is more fit and muscular than the under 35 set (in any military), I'd disagree - and the study I posted shows clearly that younger military personnel have lower BMI.

But larger muscled people still have more epithelial cells so they are still at risk from CoVid, which shortens oxygen supply to all cells and specifically attacks epithelial cells throughout the body. Larger body needs more oxygen, larger body needs more of other things too (particularly Vitamin D).

 

[10ofRods]

Return to their families? To expose them?

Perhaps better if the instructions been very clear and specific - go to a designated campus place to quarantine. Or a designated off campus housing unit already set up? Have a 24/7 hotline set up for students. What a mess.

They didn't think that far ahead. Most people don't. That's why local, state and national planning should be an outcome of this pandemic - as it will not be the last.

Our college got its first student case two days ago - just one. Caused a flurry on that side of campus (lab - most everything else is online). One class and one instructor now quarantined. They were, fortunately, wearing masks and some distance apart in the lab. So far, it's just that 1 student.

No plans here, either, about whether to turn the other students into Public Health for tracing - we're just not there yet.

 

[tresir2012]

The point isn't who is fattest.

The point is that when the pandemic hit two industrialized nations with many hospitals and doctors, despite the medical advantage, two of those industrialized nations are high on the list for CoVid fatalies.

Also, be sure to add in "overweight" as well as "obesity. The first 10 or 12 on your list are also known to have a particular gene related to that obesity, which is in and of itself a separate variable in this story. Further, there are class differences in some of those societies.

In the US and UK, obesity and overweight are higher in lower income communities (whereas in Saudi Arabia, that's not true). So, it's a double whammy. Obese and overweight people have more epithelial cells and more propensity to damage.

Those island nations you listed? They're terrified of getting CoVid and are doing their best to remain CoVid free - but due to travel from the West, it's creeping in and the death tolls may be quite high, per capita, if social measures are not taken.

At any rate, it used to be said that the UK and US both have good healthcare, tons of PCR machines, incredible research institutes, etc., etc - so obesity pops out like a sore thumb as the major comorbidity of CoVid.

Which was the topic, rather than "who is fattest."

I think diabetes and not obesity is the problem with Covid. My point is you singled out US and UK whereas many non Pacific Islander countries are higher than UK regarding obesity so why aren't their Covid cases bad too?

This is what needs to be addressed regarding Covid IMO.

Also, you mentioned googling so that was the result. It's not my data.

 

[Clair Louise]

The point isn't who is fattest.

The point is that when the pandemic hit two industrialized nations with many hospitals and doctors, despite the medical advantage, two of those industrialized nations are high on the list for CoVid fatalies.

Also, be sure to add in "overweight" as well as "obesity. The first 10 or 12 on your list are also known to have a particular gene related to that obesity, which is in and of itself a separate variable in this story. Further, there are class differences in some of those societies.

In the US and UK, obesity and overweight are higher in lower income communities (whereas in Saudi Arabia, that's not true). So, it's a double whammy. Obese and overweight people have more epithelial cells and more propensity to damage.

Those island nations you listed? They're terrified of getting CoVid and are doing their best to remain CoVid free - but due to travel from the West, it's creeping in and the death tolls may be quite high, per capita, if social measures are not taken.

At any rate, it used to be said that the UK and US both have good healthcare, tons of PCR machines, incredible research institutes, etc., etc - so obesity pops out like a sore thumb as the major comorbidity of CoVid.

Which was the topic, rather than "who is fattest."

BBM While I am sure that the obesity added to the death rate, but to add to it, both countries governments did not take the virus seriously at first.

 

[tresir2012]

PS, for Covid, BMI is BMI (and for the military, they used a baseline of the male military men's original weight - when they joined). If you think the over 35 set is more fit and muscular than the under 35 set (in any military), I'd disagree - and the study I posted shows clearly that younger military personnel have lower BMI.

But larger muscled people still have more epithelial cells so they are still at risk from CoVid, which shortens oxygen supply to all cells and specifically attacks epithelial cells throughout the body. Larger body needs more oxygen, larger body needs more of other things too (particularly Vitamin D).

The study uses their joining BMI? I would agree the younger military are likely to have a lower BMI and the study result showed that.

 

[tresir2012]

BBM While I am sure that the obesity added to the death rate, but to add to it, both countries governments did not take the virus seriously at first.

Disagree. I suggest you ask New Yorkers if they took it seriously. And UK went into full lockdown in March about the same time as NY did, 10 days after the pandemic was declared. When did your country go into lockdown?

 

[anneg]

A study from the University of North Carolina about obesity and Covid from UNC Communications, Wednesday, August 26th, 2020:
Obesity linked with higher risk for COVID-19 complications | UNC-Chapel Hill

Obesity linked with higher risk for COVID-19 complications

A review of COVID-19 studies reveals a troubling connection between two health crises: coronavirus and obesity.

From COVID-19 risk to recovery, the odds are stacked against those with obesity, and a new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill raises concerns about the impact of obesity on the effectiveness of a future COVID-19 vaccine.

Researchers examined the available published literature on individuals infected with the virus and found that those with obesity (BMI over 30) were at a greatly increased risk for hospitalization (113%), more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (74%), and had a higher risk of death (48%) from the virus.

A team of researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, including lead author Barry Popkin, a professor in the Department of Nutrition and member of the Carolina Population Center, collaborated with senior author Meera Shekar, a World Bank health and nutrition specialist, on the paper published in Obesity Reviews. [Note: link provided at end of this post]

For the paper, researchers reviewed immunological and biomedical data to provide a detailed layout of the mechanisms and pathways that link obesity with increased risk of COVID-19 as well as an increased likelihood of developing more severe complications from the virus.

Obesity is already associated with numerous underlying risk factors for COVID-19, including hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and chronic kidney and liver disease.

Metabolic changes caused by obesity — such as insulin resistance and inflammation – make it difficult for individuals with obesity to fight some infections, a trend that can be seen in other infectious diseases, such as influenza and hepatitis.

During times of infection, uncontrolled serum glucose, which is common in individuals with hyperglycemia, can impair immune cell function.

“All of these factors can influence immune cell metabolism, which determines how bodies respond to pathogens, like the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus,” said co-author Melinda Beck, professor of nutrition at Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Individuals with obesity are also more likely to experience physical ailments that make fighting this disease harder, such as sleep apnea, which increases pulmonary hypertension, or a body mass index that increases difficulties in a hospital setting with intubation.”

Previous work by Beck and others has demonstrated that the influenza vaccine is less effective in adults with obesity. The same may be true for a future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, said Beck.

“However, we are not saying that the vaccine will be ineffective in populations with obesity, but rather that obesity should be considered as a modifying factor to be considered for vaccine testing,” she said. “Even a less protective vaccine will still offer some level of immunity.”

Roughly 40% of Americans are obese and the pandemic’s resulting lockdown has led to a number of conditions that make it harder for individuals to achieve or sustain a healthy weight.

Working from home, limiting social visits and a reduction in everyday activities — all in an effort to stop the spread of the virus — means we’re moving less than ever, said Popkin.

The ability to access healthy foods has also taken a hit. Economic hardships put those who are already food insecure at further risk, making them more vulnerable to conditions that can arise from consuming unhealthy foods.

“We’re not only at home more and experience more stress due to the pandemic, but we’re also not visiting the grocery store as often, which means the demand for highly processed junk foods and sugary beverages that are less expensive and more shelf-stable has increased,” he said. “These cheap, highly processed foods are high in sugar, sodium and saturated fat and laden with highly refined carbohydrates, which all increase the risk of not only excess weight gain but also key noncommunicable diseases.”

(More at link.)

>>Link to the published paper in Obesity Reviews:
Individuals with obesity and COVID‐19: A global perspective on the epidemiology and biological relationships

 

[SA55]

Since the 1980's, there's research showing that the US and UK lead other nations in terms of obesity (US is the #1 nation within the Western industrialized world)

While as many as 50% of Americans are obese, UK's figures are rising. In 2011, 33% of English men were obese (citations) below, today it's approach 40% - so catching up with the US.

England is described in the scientific literature as having some of the worst figures for obesity in Europe.

There's also a ton of MSM literature on the topic (thousands of articles).

By 2008, 25% of UK adults were obese, but alarming, obesity was on the rise among children (as in the US):

The rising prevalence of obesity: part A: impact on public health

^general information, published around 2017; was originally published in the International Journal of Surgery, Oncology

Prevalence of obesity: a comparative survey in France, the United Kingdom and the United States - PubMed

^ Shows how in 1992, there was not such a big problem - but US and UK are already leading the pack

Obesity rates in UK correlate with reflux (and are twice the levels of Sweden)

Obesity in military males over 35 in UK is ~25%. (this is interesting, since typically members of the military are more fit and lean than the rest of the population)

Rise in obesity in UK leads to concerns about major health problems

Obesity in UK @ 27% in 2017, 35% in US; UK rates rising faster

Overweight is of course a different category - figures just above are for obesity (BMI greater than 30) and do not include overweight. For the purposes of looking at CoVid, obesity is a much greater risk than merely being overweight. Risk starts to climb at a BMI of 30, and pretty much takes off at a BMI of 35. ]

BMI calculator

Not surprisingly, US mortality from CoVid trends younger, since obesity begins in childhood in the US (as it does in the UK - although the US has a greater problem with childhood obesity).

I don't have time to cut and post all the many studies on obesity as a risk factor in CoVid, but it's easily found by Google.

I have to tell you - that is just depressing. Should I start my serious weight loss regime now or once I've finished this beautiful bag of peanut M&M's I'm munching on while working?

 

[CSIDreamer]

BBM While I am sure that the obesity added to the death rate, but to add to it, both countries governments did not take the virus seriously at first.

I just think they didn't know enough about the virus to know who to shield. Which is elderly, obese, diabetics, and hypertension patients among a few other cmorbidities.