University of North Carolina, looked at data from

University of North Carolina, looked at data from 75 studies from around the world for their research, including nearly 400,000 patients.

They found that people with obesity and Covid-19 were twice as likely to end up in hospital and 74% more likely to be admitted to intensive care. They were also more at risk of dying from the disease caused by coronavirus.

They also warn a vaccine against coronavirus could be less effective in obese people.
This is based on the fact that flu vaccines don't work as well in those with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30.

"Vaccine researchers should look at how it affects obese individuals," Prof Popkin says of a coronavirus vaccine to protect against Covid-19.

He is concerned that a vaccine, when it is ready to be used, may be less effective in a population with a high percentage of people with obesity.

With obesity rising around the world and 20% of people overweight or obese in nearly all countries - in the UK and US it's close to 66% - understanding how treatments and vaccines work in this group is "critical", the research says.