July 21, 2021 – The Obesity Society – the leading American expert organization dedicated to the understanding and treatment of obesity – urges all people with obesity to get one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible if so not the case is already done.
“We’re seeing a more virulent strain [Delta], but also the hesitation of vaccines and the end of usual masking practices, ”Scott Butsch, MD, told WebMD. “Unfortunately, we are seeing low vaccination rates in the states with the highest obesity prevalence rates.”
“This virus is still replicating and will continue to hit the unvaccinated population with ease,” he warns.
“Almost all current deaths in the US related to COVID-19 occur in unvaccinated people (about 99.5%). Therefore, regardless of whether a person is obese, they should get vaccinated,” says Butsch, the director in Obesity Medicine at the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and co-author of the Obesity Society Position Statement
“We want to end this pandemic. Let’s make it happen by getting vaccinated. As new, more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge, including the Delta variant, vaccination efforts will become even more urgent to contain the spread of the disease, “said Catherine Kotz, PhD, President of the Obesity Society and another co-author the explanation.
“In a world where lifestyle recommendations and fashion diets circulate without convincing evidence, we wanted our patients to have a reliable source of truth about the effectiveness of these vaccines,” the Obesity Society said.
Obese patients ask their providers about vaccines
“We know that obesity patients are hesitant to seek medical help or to avoid it entirely because of the weight stigma that exists in the medical community,” says Butsch.
The position statement has now been released, in part because members of the Obesity Society were asked about COVID-19 vaccines by obesity patients, he says.
“What do I tell the patient? I tell them that I am concerned about their health. That’s why they’re primarily here in my clinic, ”he says.
Obese people who contract COVID-19 are more likely to have serious illnesses, be admitted to intensive care and put on a ventilator, and die from the disease. And when they recover, they are more likely to have long-lasting symptoms, the experts pointed out.
“Obesity is not only linked to over 200 other diseases and complications [including diabetes and heart disease], but it is also the strongest risk factor outside of old age, which carries an increased risk of death, “said Butsch.” I let several of my patients die from this virus this year, and I am not interested in letting someone else die. “
Analysis of clinical trials of the three US-approved COVID-19 vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – have all shown that “these vaccines work in people with and without obesity.” says Kotz, a professor at the University of Minnesota.
The key recommendations from the Obesity Society statement, which supports the advice of the CDC, are:
- The Obesity Society strongly recommends that people with obesity get vaccinated against COVID-19.
- There is clear evidence that the efficacy of the approved vaccines is similar in obese and non-obese patients.
- All three FDA-cleared COVID-19 vaccines are equally effective.
“The risk of being unvaccinated and possibly developing this disease is high in people with obesity, and EVERY vaccine will reduce this risk significantly,” says Butsch, adding that he often tells his patients, “Do yourself , Your family and your community great service and vaccination. “
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Obesity: “COVID-19 Vaccines Are Effective In People With Obesity: A Position Statement From The Obesity Society.”
CDC: “Various COVID-19 Vaccines.”
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