The threat of being severely infected by the Covid-19 looms over 1.7 billion people world i.e. more than 20 per cent of the global population. The threat is largely because of the underlying health problems of obesity and heart disease, according to an analysis mentioned in the Agence France Presse report.
The deadly contagion has claimed over 4.20 lakh lives already and the threat gets amplified for persons suffering from co-morbidities.
A team of experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine analysed global data sets of illnesses including diabetes, lung disease and HIV used these to estimate how many people are at an elevated risk of severe Covid-19 infection.
They found that one in five people have at least one underlying health problem putting them in greater danger. Less than 5 per cent of people aged under 20 have an underlying risk factor.
Global cases of the coronavirus have reached over eight million. This has raised concerns across the world of the second flare-up of the virus in China, a country where it emerged last December.
While not all of those would go on to develop severe symptoms if infected, the researchers said around 4 per cent of the global population -- around 350 million would likely need hospitalisation based on severity of the case.
"As countries move out of lockdown, governments are looking for ways to protect the most vulnerable from a virus that is still circulating," said Andrew Clark, who contributed to the study.
"This might involve advising people with underlying conditions to adopt social distancing measures appropriate to their level of risk," he added.
Clark said the findings could help governments make decisions on who receives a Covid-19 vaccine first when one becomes available.
Consistent with other studies about Covid risk, the authors found that older people are under high risk of getting seriously unwell from the virus.
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Countries with younger populations have fewer people with at least one underlying condition, but risks vary globally, according to the analysis.
Small island states such as Fiji and Mauritius have among the highest rates of diabetes -- a known Covid-19 risk factor,, AFP mentioned in its report.
And countries with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS, such as eSwatini and Lesotho, also need to be highly wary of the health crisis catapulted by the virus, said authors of the research published in The Lancet.
In Europe, more than 30 per cent of population have one or more health conditions, it showed.