The coronavirus has been a far deadlier threat in New Orleans than the rest of the United States.
In fact, the per-capita death rate is twice that of New York City, and four times that of Seattle.
According to Reuters, both data and health professionals say the Big Easy’s high levels of obesity and related ailments may be part of the problem.
Such conditions make patients more vulnerable to COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
The Louisiana state health department says some 97% of those killed by COVID-19 there had a pre-existing condition.
Diabetes was seen in 40% of the deaths, obesity in 25%, chronic kidney disease in 23% and cardiac problems in 21%.
New Orleans could be a harbinger for the potential toll the pandemic could take in other parts of the South and Midwest.
Other contributing factors to New Orleans’ high death rate range from access to healthcare to the prevalence of other conditions, including lung disease.
