The Biggest Covid Risk Factor

The biggest Covid risk factor for the global population may be obesity.

This covid risk possibility was revealed by WHO-backed research from the World Obesity Federation (WOF).

The Covid risk study found that 9 out of 10 deaths from coronavirus have occurred in countries with high obesity levels. It showed that mortality rates were 10 times higher where at least 50% of the population was overweight.

Tim Lobstein, senior policy adviser to the WOF and the report’s author, said the increase in national death rates where countries exceeded the threshold of 50% of population overweight was “dramatic.”

Researchers analyzed both the latest mortality data from Johns Hopkins University and the WHO Global Health Observatory data on obesity. The data showed that 2.2 million of the 2.5 million global deaths were in countries with high levels of obesity.

Age had been seen as the biggest predictor for severe outcomes from Covid. That’s why priority is being given to older people in most countries’ rollouts.

But now, this Covid risk report “shows for the first time that overweight populations come a close second.” That is leading many to call for overweight people to also be prioritized for receiving vaccines.

The Big News

UNICEF Warns 330 Million Children at Risk

UNICEF says the mental health of millions of children worldwide has been put at risk. One in seven children must remain at home under pandemic lockdowns.  Some 332 million youngsters have been stuck at home for nine months or more, UNICEF said in a statement Thursday. According to UNICEF, half of all mental disorders develop before the age of 15. And the majority of the 800,000 people who die by suicide annually are under 18.

Covid Hit Latin America Hard

The UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) highlighted how badly the pandemic affected the region. A surge in poverty and unemployment threatens to set the region back by more than a decade. It has only 8.4% of the world’s population. But it has 27.8% of all the deaths from Covid-19, making it the worst-affected developing region. The heavy death toll comes amid an economic contraction of 7.7% last year.

Kids and Covid

A new study from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research should worry parents. It found that one in 10 children hospitalized with Covid-19 at four New York-area hospitals last spring and summer developed acute kidney injury. The rate was even higher among children also found to have a serious inflammatory condition associated with Covid-19. Almost one in five of them experienced sudden kidney injury.

Athletes and Covid

Few U.S. pro athletes who contracted Covid-19 over the past year and returned to play have developed inflammatory heart disease. This is according to a new peer-reviewed study published on Thursday in JAMA Cardiology. All 789 athletes were subject to followup cardiac screening after their diagnosis. Just five – less than 1%  – exhibited inflammatory heart disease, and none experienced an acute cardiac event.

Covid Vaccines for Animals

The coronavirus loves to jump back and forth between humans and animals, mutating all the time. So, it is important that Covid vaccines for animals are developed, too. The San Diego Zoo has given nine apes an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Zoetis. It is the preeminent veterinary pharmaceuticals company.

The Coronavirus Numbers

Here are the numbers from Friday at 8 a.m. ET from Johns Hopkins University:

• 115,729,983 Infected Worldwide
• 275,839,183 Vaccines Given Globally
• 2,571,530 Deaths
• 28,827,651 Infected in the U.S.
• 82,572,848 US Vaccine Doses Administered
• 520,368 Deaths in the U.S.

Engineer Quits Tesla and SpaceX – Launches New EV Stock

One of the TOP engineers behind Tesla Motors and SpaceX just QUIT. And he’s now creating a brand new EV battery. Go here to grab Pre-IPO shares of this new EV stock.

What’s Next

We have a failure to communicate.

That was the reason for the big selloff in stocks yesterday. Fed chairman Jay Powell’s dovish tone did not go far enough for Wall Street mavens. They wanted him to give specific actions the Fed would take to lower market interest rates.

This is the kind of market that will trap bulls and bears alike.

The good news is that a little froth is coming out of the market and that’s not bad. The VIX is not reacting badly, which indicates “fear” is not high.

If the S&P 500 drops under 3,750 at the close today, we may be looking to further downside. Otherwise, it’s maybe just a short-term blip on rising yields and we rally back fast and hard.

Meanwhile, some of the smartest investors are SELLING Tesla. And they’re buying EV Pre-IPOs instead. Go here for details – before March 31.

Yours in Health & Wealth,

Tony Daltorio