Italian Researchers Say COVID-19 Quarantine Period for Obese Patients Should Be Doubled

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Italian researchers have announced a study result indicating that obese individuals should extend their self-quarantine period by more than twice compared to the general population if infected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Previously, researchers from the UK and Germany also warned that obese patients are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and have a higher likelihood of becoming severe cases.

According to Forbes in the United States on the 11th (local time), a study conducted jointly by the Milan Institute of Science and the Italian Institute of Science and Technology found that when an obese person with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher is infected with COVID-19, the virus remains in their body for a longer period compared to the general population, making them contagious to others for a longer time. Additionally, obese patients take longer than the general population to generate an immune response against the virus within their bodies.

For these reasons, the research team argued that obese patients should extend their self-quarantine period to at least 28 days, which is more than twice that of general patients after COVID-19 infection. Since the period of contagiousness is longer and immune system formation takes more time compared to general patients, the existing 14-day quarantine period is considered insufficient for antibody formation.

Earlier, researchers from the UK and Germany also published findings that obese patients are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than general patients. The research team at the University of Glasgow in the UK analyzed data from approximately 428,000 individuals and reported that the higher the BMI, the higher the proportion of severe COVID-19 cases. The German Diabetes Research Center team also announced that obese individuals have a 142% higher risk of developing severe pneumonia due to COVID-19 compared to the general population.

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