Your statistic was overweight or obese at 78%. Obesity is 42% but there is some percentage of the population that contributes to the overweight category. If the combined overweight or obese percentage of the US is in the 70s then your statistic looks more like a random sampling than a significant indicator.

Unfortunately, I have forgotten the equations for determining statistical significance.

According to the CDC: “Having obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection“

Not my statistic, the CDC calculated that one.

Covid: CDC study finds about 78% of people hospitalized were overweight or obese

The agency found the risk for hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths was lowest among individuals with BMIs under 25. The risk of severe illness “sharply increased,” however, as BMIs rose, particularly among people 65 and older, the agency said.

Just a little hard to reconcile that when the study showed the distribution in covid hospitalizations was similar to the distribution in the population. Would be useful to see the study and the actual data.

Millions of Americans have had covid, only a small percentage (5%?) of them get really sick, go to hospital and/or die. Of this cohort, 78% are overweight or obese.

Something like 70% of Americans are overweight or obese. If someone blindly picked 148,000 people they are likely to find that around 70% are overweight or obese. "Random" is never really random so the percentages would not be exactly the same. The question is whether 78% is higher in a statistically significant sense.

Looking at it from the other direction:
There are millions of Americans. Perhaps (I can't find the data) 30% of them fall into the the category of not overweight or obese. A study of about 148,000 patients found that only 22% of them fell into the category of not overweight or obese. Either the wording on the article was poor (distinct possibility) or the study found that the demographics of the hospitalized patients closely matched the demographics of Americans as if they were randomly picked off the street with no regard to weight.

Note that one of the limitations of the study was it could only consider patients where height and weight were listed. The data could be biased towards overweight or obese as the hospitals look for comorbidities. In other words, the hospital *might* list height and weight for overweight and obese patients more often than for patients who had a more "healthy" weight.

Let’s look at the demographics of those who have died from Covid as reported by the CDC. 78% were overweight or obese, with the odds 3X greater for obese people. Of those who died, they averaged 2.4 comorbidities. Those were primarily, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and hypertension.
This is not a cross section of the general population. It is primarily overweight, unhealthy individuals. Spin that any way you want to make yourself feel better…

Yeah, premiums will soar and providers, medical clinics, hospitals and supplies will be strained but it has nothing to do with covid.

Primarily overweight, unhealthy individuals *IS* a cross section of the general population.

The ratios matter and those haven't been as easy to find but if 42% are obese (CDC info) then it wouldn't be hard to believe that another 30% are just overweight. If 72% of the general population is overweight or obese and 78% of covid deaths were overweight or obese then, from these numbers, the covid deaths appear to match the demographics of the general population.

It is not my intention to make a claim about the risk of covid, only that the numbers presented do not appear to support the assertion that weight is a significant factor. It might be, but that can't be seen from these numbers.

The vaccine causes the virus to be more dangerous - Dr Robert Malone
 

And I was replying to MDLNB who made a retort to Boomer.
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“So the real truth is the dollar, huh? Worried about how much it will cost you, and not really the common good after all, right?”
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It was an unfair critique.

Your link is from a far right source. It is important not to ju$t $imply cite a $ource the$e days — you need to really con$ider what’$ behind it.

If you would like to learn more about Robert Malone and his claims, google his name and theatlantic.com and you will find an article that I hope will give you some more to think about.

Millions have had COVID-19, only a small percentage (5%?) get really sick, go to the hospital and/or die. Of this cohort, 100% have inhaled air.

Every single one of them have inhaled air. That's statistically more significant than the mere 78% that are overweight or obese.

Therefore, breathing causes 100% of all hospitalized/dead COVID patients.

Because statistics, amirite?

Unless and until the mask mandates require N95, they are a joke. Paper and cloth masks do essentially zero to prevent infection. They are a bit of source control, but if you are coughing and sneezing, stay the hell home. I know that I don't let other people sneeze in my mouth either, so I don't need someone else to wear a mask to prevent it.

I am vaxxed. I support these vaccines, but If I were a woman or a family member was pregnant or about to become that way, I'd hold off until afterward. Sorry, I've heard enough DIRECT person experience from women I know that have had their cycles thrown into chaos after getting vaxxed. It took one woman I know almost 3 months to get back to normal. Not saying not to get vaxxed, saying there's something there, what, I don't know, but it's not worth it for sub 30YO to take that risk if she plans on having a baby.

I would like to see the data that supports your claim that the average person in the US has at least two of either, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or hypertension…