Maybe the virus has been exploiting lipids not merely for "fuel", but in the reproduction of its envelope. This would, in theory, create a Trojan horse within a body in which the coating of the virus is made of the person's own lipids. Perhaps also the ties to diabetes goes further as the body's ability to process glucose in a way to deliver energy to the cells which can lead to poorer outcomes from the body being deprived of  energy sources needed to combat the disease while the fat cells are "hijacked". I think simply blocking lipid uptake by the virus is only one half of the coin. The other would 've the starvation of the body of proteins and lipids and the need for glucose in combating the virus within the body. This starvation could also explain the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. It could also explain reasons for certain symptoms as glucose levels in the brain are tied to oxygen levels as well during starvation.