Why the Coronavirus Likes Obese People

It’s been known since the arrival of Covid-19 that the virus is particularly hard on people who are overweight. Now, thanks to research at Stanford Medical Center and elsewhere, we know why: the virus has the ability to infect fat cells, as well as immune cells within the fat. The New York Times reports on the research, which indicated that certain immune cells within the fat developed a harmful robust inflammatory response to the virus, and also that the virus is capable evading fat’s normal immune responses. Bad news on both counts. The finding is particularly worrisome in the United States, the Times warns, because 42 percent of Americans are obese.