AUTHOR=Benskin Linda L.

TITLE=A Basic Review of the Preliminary Evidence That COVID-19 Risk and Severity Is Increased in Vitamin D Deficiency

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00513

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.00513

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=As the attention of the world has been riveted upon the growing Covid-19 pandemic, many researchers have written brief reports supporting the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency is related to the incidence and severity of Covid-19. A literature search was performed on PubMed and Google Scholar, with Google searches providing additional sources. The research evidence supporting a link between vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19 risks is already quite strong. Vitamin D deficiency can help explain why each high risk group is more likely to develop severe Covid-19, why certain areas of the world have more fatalities, and why Covid-19 produces a cytokine storm in high-risk individuals.  The evidence strongly supports vitamin D supplements during the Covid-19 pandemic for people who are less able to synthesize it from the sun. The review of the literature found that prophylactically correcting possible vitamin D deficiency with 2000IU of vitamin D daily is extremely safe.