An elderly Iranian man, who has Covid-19, lies on his bed in the Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran this week as the country tries to deal with a second wave of infections. People who are substantially overweight tend to suffer more than others when they contract Covid-19. Picture: Getty Images
NEWS
Long before the novel Covid-19 coronavirus raised its deadly head, South Africa was battling another epidemic that experts refer to as a “ticking time-bomb” – obesity.
While scientists continue to release a cascade of studies every month in their quest to understand the different factors that result in Covid-19 manifesting severely in some patients, yet hardly causing a cough in others, it’s become abundantly clear that certain “lifestyle” diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and obesity deal those infected with the virus a terrible blow.
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