4 ms·

> the SA population is quite young Quite young, and quite highly likely to already have had COVID-19: over 3/4 of the population has had it. https://www.bloom

• JPKab 5y ago
  Isn't this the case in the US, but in a slightly different manner? We're talking about a majority of adults being vaccinated, and then according to seroprevalence tracking over time, it's estimated that a large percentage of the population (both vaxxed and unvaxxed) have already recovered from an infection as well. But there is one delta on top of the age difference: We have a high rate of obesity, and the latest research shows that adipose tissue contributes to bad outcomes due to the virus infecting it and the cells then being a potent source of cytokines that dramatically and dangerously increase inflammation. The great irony is that as much as we focus (rightly) on unvaxxed clogging the healthcare system, the obese who have been increasingly clogging it over the last few decades are the ones clogging the ICUs when they catch covid. All for a chronic condition that, for most, can be alleviated with voluntary lifestyle changes.