Critics mocked CNN for sharing a study on Monday that linked obesity to complications and even death from COVID-19, most saying that the news organization was finally reporting on something that people had been trying to say since the beginning of the pandemic.
“People who are overweight or obese are at a much higher risk of much more severe disease and even death from Covid-19 — and one new study suggests that losing weight can reduce that risk,” CNN’s tweet read.
From the accompanying article, titled, “Can weight loss help protect against COVID-19?”:
People who are overweight or obese are at a much higher risk of much more severe disease and even death from Covid-19, and one new study suggests that losing weight can reduce that risk.
The obesity epidemic has been a threat to Americans’ health for years. It’s the second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking. With Covid-19, it becomes even more dangerous. One study found that 30% of Covid-19 hospitalizations were in people with obesity.
The obesity clinic where Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford works in Boston has a 1,000-plus person wait list that grew a lot longer with the pandemic. Even with more than a dozen specialists on staff, it’s not enough to meet the demand.
“We are overwhelmed with the volume of patients that have really made that connection between obesity and Covid and the need for them to get appropriate care,” said Cody Stanford, who is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
The study also noted that people who were obese were potentially at greater risk to contract the virus in the first place. Additionally, “it found that they are also more at risk of getting really sick, facing a 113% higher chance of being hospitalized, a 74% higher risk of needing to be treated in the ICU and — perhaps most troubling of all — a 48% increased risk of death.”
The risk, according to the article, increases as Body Mass Index goes up.
“YOU DON’T SAY?????” Bridget Phetasy replied.
Some noted that, early on in the pandemic, gyms had been forced to close and people had been told to stay inside their homes — a factor that could have contributed to weight gain in many cases.
“Can we all agree and insist that gyms are essential services. Stay fit, stay strong and stay healthy,” John Kavanagh said.
“Thank God we shut down the gyms…,” Nate Madden — communications director for Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) added.
“Nearly half of Americans gained weight during the lockdowns, with an average gain of 29 pounds. 10% gained 50lbs or more. By closing things down, we actually may have *increased* the risk.” CNBC’s Brian Sullivan said.
Greg Price noted that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) had received a “strike” for promoting “misinformation” on Twitter when she had tweeted that Covid-19 vaccines vaccines “should not be forced on our military for a virus that is not dangerous for non-obese people and those under 65.”
“One of the covid misinformation ‘strikes’ that got MTG banned from Twitter was a tweet saying that covid is more dangerous for people who are obese,” he said.
The Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee noticed that as well, adding, “Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted this. Twitter flagged it as ‘misinformation.’ Unbelievable.”