A study published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology revealed that COVID-19 vaccines significantly decreased the number of instances of severe COVID-19 for everyone, independent of body mass.

Of the 90 lakh individuals in England, 32,808 were hospitalized, and 14,389 passed away. The researchers assessed risk of serious sickness in vaccinated versus non-vaccinated individuals at least 14 days following a second dose in order to understand vaccination effectiveness. They discovered that vaccination provided substantial protection across all BMI categories, but that the impact was slightly diminished in underweight individuals.

Comparing underweight vaccinated individuals with unvaccinated individuals of the same BMI, hospitalization or death rates were almost half as likely. The researchers said the data showed the need for focused efforts to boost vaccination uptake among those with low BMI, where uptake is currently lower than among those with a higher BMI.

The researchers also found that those who had had vaccinations and were in the healthy and high BMI groups were roughly 70% less likely to end up in the hospital. Two weeks after receiving a second dose, those with a healthy BMI or a higher BMI were also around two-thirds less likely to die than those who had not received the vaccine. (ETHealthworld, July 02, 2022)