If you are obese or a heart patient, then you are much at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, said a recent study carried out in London on Covid-19 health risks. According to details, An estimated 1.7 billion people – more than 20 percent of the world’s population – risk becoming severely infected with COVID-19 due to underlying health problems such as obesity and heart disease.
A team of experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine analyzed global data sets of illnesses including diabetes, lung disease, obesity and HIV used these to evaluate how many people at heightened risk of serious infection.
The experts found that one in five people have at least one underlying health problem putting them in greater danger.
While not all of those would go on to develop severe symptoms if infected, the researchers said around 4 percent of the global population – around 350 million, would likely get sick enough to require hospital treatment.
“As countries move out of lockdown, governments looking for ways to protect the most vulnerable from a virus that still circulating,” said Andrew Clark, one of the health experts that contributed to the study.
“This might involve advising people with underlying conditions to adopt social distancing measures appropriate to their level of risk.”
Consistent with other studies about COVID risk, the authors found that older people are in greater danger of getting seriously unwell from the virus.
Countries with younger populations have fewer people with at least one underlying condition, but risks vary globally, according to the analysis.
Small island states such as Fiji and Mauritius have among the highest rates of diabetes – a known COVID-19 risk factor.
