BMI is a comparison of your weight and height and reveals whether you have a healthy weight. The NHS website offers a BMI calculator. Living with excess weight puts people at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19
According to data published by the government last July, nearly 8% of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units were morbidly obese, compared with 2.9% of the general population.
Therefore, knowing your BMI is extremely important. But for those who want a “quick guide” and don’t have a tape measure or scale on hand, Dr. Zoe Williams revealed the string test.
Appearing on ITV’s This Morning program, she explained: “Make sure it’s a piece of long string, get on it, measure your height.
“Take [the string] from the tip of your toe, fold it in half and see if it will wrap around the fullest part of your belly.
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“If that happens, the chance that you will have obesity is less.
“If not, it’s definitely worth taking some scales and measuring your height.”
Excess body fat affects the organs’ ability to function.
It affects metabolism and increases a person’s visceral fat level – the body fat that surrounds the person’s internal organs.
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Dr. Zoe explained that when this type of fat stays there doing nothing, it produces chemicals – it produces inflammatory substances.
And if you receive COVID-19, the body reacts slightly differently, which is why more serious cases of the virus have been observed in people with obesity.
The TV doctor has advised you if your BMI is 40 and above to seek support from your doctor.
Although body fat cannot be removed, you may be eligible for level 3 weight management services.
But Dr. Zoe said it is important to note that BMI does not always tell you how active you are, how many fruits and vegetables you eat or whether you sleep well.
The absorption gap for Covid vaccines was revealed between people from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities (BAME) and white individuals.
Absorption in blacks, Asians, browns and other groups was 71.5% between December 8 and February 14, compared with 85.6% in the white ethnic group.
A Public Health Wales (PHW) survey also found a gap between those living in the most and least deprived areas.
Dr. Zoe commented, “Anyone who is at high risk – the vaccine is safe.
“There are valid reasons why people are afraid … I have been telling my whole family to step forward and get the vaccine, and I am encouraging everyone else to do the same.