Adult obesity in the US continues to rise, and being obese increases the risk of severe illness in people with COVID-19, the U.S. CDC warns. Agency data also show that racial and ethnic disparities in obesity rates persist. New CDC maps for 2019 put adult obesity rates in 12 states at or above 35%: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.