Several Studies Show Obesity Increases the Risk of COVID-19 Over 107 million American adults are considered obese, and several recent studies have listed obesity as a risk factor for COVID-19. When many medical procedures were put temporarily on the backburner due to the coronavirus pandemic, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) fought hard to keep bariatric surgery on the table, citing it as a necessary treatment. According to ASMBS experts, bariatric surgery should be considered a medically necessary time-sensitive surgery instead of an elective surgery. Those with severe obesity are not only more at risk for COVID-19,