Vivienne Clarke
Obesity expert Professor Donal O'Keeffe has advised overweight people to get their weight checked and then to see if they are eligible for an early vaccine because of the risk to their health.
The endocrinologist told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that every stone a person was overweight put them more at risk from Covid-19.
Any male who weighs over 20 stone or female over 16 stone with a BMI of over 40 was highly compromised and highly vulnerable to the virus, he said.
People were in denial about their weight — they should go to GP to be measured/weighed, or weigh themselves. They should find out their weight and then contact their GP to see if they qualified for an early vaccine, he urged.
Eight to ten per cent of people have a BMI over 35, and they needed to be prioritised for vaccine as it could be very serious for them if they got Covid, he warned. “For every stone you put on, you are more likely to end up in hospital.”
Prof O’Shea said obesity was not a choice, people should not be judged, it was a chronic disease that was still stigmatised.
