Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly linked to a significantly lower risk of hospitalization from COVID-19. However, a large study of Norwegian adults found that fitness levels did not appear to influence the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection itself.
The research analyzed data from over 48,000 adults, linking pre-pandemic fitness levels and physical activity to national COVID-19 registries. While fitness and leisure activity did not affect the risk of contracting the virus, those in the highest fitness quintiles showed a substantially reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. This suggests that maintaining strong cardiorespiratory health before a pandemic could be a key factor in mitigating severe outcomes.