Obesity: Coronavirus

(asked on 23rd July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the evidence that informed their decision to include people with a BMI over 40 on the list of those most at risk of worse outcomes from COVID-19; and why people with a BMI lower than 40 who are overweight or obese were not in included in that category.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 10th August 2020

Having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or above is not one of the specific medical conditions that expert doctors in England identified as placing someone at greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 (clinically extremely vulnerable) and requiring them to shield.

It is, however, one of the health conditions identified as putting someone at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 (clinically vulnerable). Those with BMI over 40 were eligible for a free influenza vaccination last winter, and that is the basis for including them in the clinically vulnerable cohort.

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