Covid-19 patients who have vitamin D deficiency are 'at higher risk of death'

Specialists from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK are considering using Vitamin D as a cheap and effective anti-coronavirus drug. It is believed that COVID-19 patients are 'at higher risk of death' if they have a vitamin D deficiency.

"One investigation – carried out by Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge – found European countries with lower vitamin D levels have had significantly more pandemic casualties," The Daily Mail reported.

Some ethnic groups are thought to be at greater risk than others because their skin produces less vitamin D in response to sunlight. Elderly people are also at risk - because their body produces vitamin D less efficiently with age.

In turn, Queen Mary University specialists are now studying how certain lifestyle factors, including vitamin D levels, affect susceptibility to the virus. This vitamin has been proven to protect against acute respiratory infections, and COVID-19 is the most serious in the elderly - the group with the highest vitamin D deficiency.

One study also found that people with low levels of vitamin D had a mortality rate of 98.9%. However, this indicator dropped to 4.1% for patients without vitamin deficiency.

Experts warn that large doses of vitamin A can be dangerous, so taking a vitamin without consulting a doctor is not recommended.

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