Updated CDC guidelines on who’s most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 lists more underlying conditions and says risk rises steadily as you age , but age itself has been removed as a risk factor.
The risk list is long, but includes such partly amelioratable conditions as:
- Obesity (videos from a bariatric surgeon explain that simply being overweight is high risk too)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hypertension
- Smoking
...as well as others that might not seem so controllable, but are.
At the end of the article, the CDC includes steps to take to reduce risk from these conditions. This, more than social distancing and mask-wearing, could reduce risk for many more Americans, if they follow the guidelines.