A new study is warning people who are obese are almost 40% more likely to die from the coronavirus.
They are also seven times more likely to end up in intensive care, according to a British study by the Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium.
One in four people in Ireland is obese.
Donal O’Shea is the HSE’s Clinical Lead on Obesity, and says it's concerning.
"From the time the Covid-19 epidemic arose in China, the link with obesity was clearly strong.
"That was mirrored by findings in Italy, and then very strongly by this study from the UK, where people with particularly severe obesity are 7 times more likely to end up in intensive care."
