Critics rip CNN over late tweet linking obesity to serious COVID cases, death

Liberal network CNN was ripped by critics Monday over a tweet suggesting there was a link between obesity and serious illness or death related to the coronavirus, a connection already well-known from data compiled earlier in the pandemic.

"People who are overweight or obese are at a much higher risk of much more severe disease and even death from Covid-19 -- and one new study suggests that losing weight can reduce that risk," the tweet read, linking to a CNN article headlined, "Can weight loss help protect against Covid-19?" 

Despite citing a "new study," the article also referenced studies from August 2020, February 2021 and April 2021 that reported hospitalizations from the coronavirus were "robustly linked to cardiometabolic health" and the body-mass index.

Critics quickly took to social media to slam CNN, with some questioning why it took so long for the liberal network to acknowledge the data that was already widely known. 

"A truly shocking development," one critic jokingly wrote, while another thanked the network for finally "catching up."