A new study commissioned by researchers in the US confirms that a Covid-19 vaccine may remain ineffective in obese people. The ramifications of Covid-19 worsen in people with high body mass index (BMI), according to media reports.

Experts analysed the BMI of 812 patients who had recovered or were suffering from the virus.

The study found that of these 812 people, 70 per cent were obese. And among the number of people who died of Covid-19, 82 per cent were obese, a newspaper report said.

The researchers cited in the report said that obese people were more vulnerable to the virus.

They further said obesity can lead to severe inflammation by pushing the body’s immune responses. This can make the body weaker in the fight against the virus.

“It is not a question of not working, it is more of a question of efficacy,” said Dr Chad Petit, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “In other words, the vaccine could work but it may not be as effective,” he added.

Vaccine needles

Another researcher who carried out the study said the size of the vaccine needles also accounts for obese people since the standard one-inch needle can prove less effective on them.

According to the World Obesity Organisation, given the extremely high rates of obesity around the globe, it is expected that a high percentage of the population who will contract coronavirus will also have a BMI over 25.

Further, such persons who become ill and require intensive care present challenges to the healthcare sector. It can be more challenging to obtain diagnostic imaging, patients are more difficult to position and transport by nursing staff and, like pregnant patients in ICUs, they may not do well when prone, the World Obesity Organisation report added.

Another report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that obesity-related conditions seem to worsen the effect of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, about 5 per cent of India’s population is struggling with obesity and according to recent studies, obesity will increase by 40 per cent in the next decade worldwide. The lockdown is expected to further exacerbate obesity rates, warn experts.

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