Obesity and Covid-19, illustration. At right is a section through skin tissue showing subcutaneous fat and fat cells (adipocytes, yellow). At top right are coronavirus particles. Covid-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 that emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It is a respiratory infection that can lead to fatal pneumonia. Individuals with Covid-19 that are overweight or obese have been shown to have worse outcomes, including a higher mortality rate. It has been suggested that increased viral uptake by fat cells could lead to greater levels of inflammation and be the cause of the worse outcomes.