This retrospective observational analysis of a cohort of 71,103 patients from Mexico between February and April of 2020, was conducted to understand obesity’s role in short-term mortality for patients suspected of having COVID-19. This cohort included 21.8% who received a positive SARS-CoV-2 results, 66.1% a negative test results, and 12.1% whose results were still pending. Overall, the case-fatality rate was found to be higher among patients with positive test result (9.2%) than those with negative or pending results (1.9% and 1.6%, respectively). Obesity was found to increase adjusted mortality risk in positively diagnosed patients (HR=2.47, 95% CI:2.04-2.98). In positive cases who had both a comorbidity and obesity, such as asthma or hypertension, obesity increased the adjusted mortality risk of those patients and was higher than either obesity or the comorbidity alone. In addition, when obesity was observed in conjunction with other comorbidities, it was found to increase the risk of secondary outcomes such as pneumonia and ICU admission. As a result, the authors identify that obesity is a risk factor for short-term mortality of patients who have tested positive for SARS-Cov-2.