https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/04/11/deadly-covid-19-pandemic-is-obscuring-another-obesity/I don't expect the general public to be informed about a bunch of scientific terms that I learned from working in life sciences but 90-95% of the United States is ignorant on why covid has spread like wildfire in the US and in so many other countries. It may even be a higher figure than that. And as of 2-3 months ago, I would say even a higher percentage of that but the media is slowly starting to tell a little more of the truth.
If the entire country wasn't ignorant, leaders would have stepped up and told the truth and told the number 1 factor that people could do to save 10's of thousands of lives before a vaccine. But very few people did and they never told the story like it needed to be told in blunt terms that is a little politically incorrect and harsh.
This is Trump's biggest failure of all but hard to blame Trump when Fauci knew much more about the subject but he failed even more since he had to know the science behind it all. Fauci is a smart dude that must know something about statistics given that I believe he was a top student in medical school.
China's Communist Party in one editorial through one of their propaganda papers told the truth on at least one occasion.
I detest the CCP but they are right on one major point.
US has huge covid deaths since US is an extremely obese society with a huge percentage of the population with compromised immune systems.
If you have huge obesity problems, you better pray to have very low population densities and tight control over your borders or you are probably absolutely 100% F*D if any pandemic that targets obesity/compromised immune systems hits. I realized this around late April/May of 2020 by looking at the data worldwide.
90%+ of covid deaths in countries with major obesity problems. This is being reported more now but just looking at the data it was known many months ago. I probably finally brought it up 6 months ago in this forum when I was like 99.99% certain but I knew it way before I posted about it.
Japan hasn't been Sweden in terms of largely just ignoring covid but much closer to Sweden of do next to nothing new than the US.
Covid deaths in Japan still not too high (a little under 10,000 or perhaps 25,000+ adjusted to the population size of the USA. Well, Japan has the disadvantage of an older population and much much higher population density so even 25k killed is remarkably low compared to over 576k and counting.
But since obesity rates is by far the most important factor for any country with a decent population density at least, Japan has largely escaped the mass death from the pandemic. Vietnam super low obesity rate and super low covid death rate.
Fauci/Birx and many others did a good job explaining the individual risk factors despite some notable screwups/contradictory info. Fauci/Trump/CDC/life science companies all deserve stellar reviews for the work/funding on vaccines.
Role out of vaccines good but could have been even better in prioritizing more of the people likely to die without a vaccine.
But where Fauci/Birx/Trump/national media/Dems/Republican/pundits and everyone else all failed miserably is explaining the ramification of having an obese population. Biden has also failed with this.
Obesity with covid is like dry leaves/easy to burn wood wood/dry grass with California forest fires, you are f'd once it starts if you have a bunch of material that can go up in flames.
Countries with very low obesity rates is like trying to start fires after 2 weeks straight of rain. Possible sure but chances are those fires won't do nearly as much damage. May still do some damage but just not nearly as much.
A fair and objective historian 50-100 years from now is going to absolute hammer the US national media/tech companies that tends to be overwhelmingly liberal and the CDC/scientists that tend to be less political but for not putting the proper emphasis on obesity. Again I dislike the Chinese Communist Party but the one advantage they have over the US which is substantial is when its in their interests, they have a willingness to tell their citizens the truth. US in many respects has lost that in lots of cases.
It isn't in the the financial interests of life science companies or even doctors to tell you the truth. And it isn't in the interest of fast food companies either. What Democrat or Republican gains votes by telling the public that obesity can cost lives even among the people that are not obese?
Partly Trump Derangement Syndrome and huge case of people not wanting to "fat shame". I've been obese before. Probably over half the country has been.
During a pandemic even the health conscious liberal bay area shutdown lots of hiking trails only furthering obesity but for sure kept McDonald's/Burger King/KFC/Popeye's open.
A joke. A sick joke. But our politicians are into survival. They realized the masses wouldn't revolt too much with hiking trails closed but if In-N-Out burger was closed, they would fear for their lives.