People who are overweight or from Asian communities are more likely to develop Covid according to the first major findings from a research project we’ve funded.
The Covidence study, which has surveyed more than 15,000 people about their lifestyle habits every month since May 2020, has revealed various factors which mean some people are more likely to develop the virus than others.
The study found that people who are overweight are more likely to test positive, as well as people from Asian communities. It also found that living in overcrowded housing and working in jobs on the frontline even outside of health and social care increased the likelihood.
Perhaps less surprisingly, the study confirmed that mixing with other people indoors was also a risk factor – a finding which supports measures to reduce the spread of the virus, such as limiting social gatherings and indoor meetings.
By contrast, the study found that being older, male, or having other conditions such as diabetes and heart disease did not in themselves increase a person’s risk of developing Covid, although previous evidence suggests that these groups are more at risk of severe disease and even death if they do contract the virus.
The Covidence study also found people with asthma were less likely to develop Covid, which may be because people with allergies tend to have fewer ACE-2 receptors which enable the virus to enter the body.
For more information about the ongoing research programme visit COVIDENCE UK
