Vitamin D and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated us for the past year plus. I can speak firsthand, having contracted COVID-19 early into the pandemic. Since then, I have worked to stop its spread: I got the city to distribute PPE in more sites in Upper Manhattan, and litigated unsuccessfully for the state to use an alternative to petitioning to appear on the ballot, which most likely is how I contracted COVID.
But with all the talk about vaccination to end the epidemic, as well as conspiracy theories about hydroxychloroquine and other unapproved medications, there is another tool we need to use: Vitamin D.
Vitamin D influences numerous biological pathways in the body, supporting the immune system, reducing inflammation, and promoting brain development. A healthy Vitamin D level has been implicated in lowering the risks of multiple sclerosis, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, influenza, respiratory infections, cognitive impairment, type 1 diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, schizophrenia, and autism. The body produces it in reaction to sunlight on the skin, which means almost everyone in New York is deficient unless they take a supplement or spend their days outdoors.
Although there is not yet consensus, a healthy level of Vitamin D likely prevents COVID, and almost definitely reduces its severity. A study in Belgium found that Vitamin D deficiency in hospital patients with COVID was 13.4 percentage points higher than other patients. In Spain, researchers found that only 2% of COVID patients treated with Vitamin D required ICU admission, compared to 50% of the untreated patients. In a study in India, 63% of COVID patients treated with Vitamin D tested negative within two weeks, compared to 21% of those untreated. Another study in India found that COVID patients with healthy Vitamin D levels had a mortality rate seven times lower than deficient ones. And in France, researchers found that 10% of elderly COVID patients taking Vitamin D advanced to severe COVID, compared to 31% who did not.
Vitamin D likely explains some trends in the pandemic. Lower rates of COVID near the equator, as well as Florida’s COVID numbers despite lax restrictions, are probably due to people there having more sun exposure.
The evidence shows that the city should begin promoting Vitamin D use. We can even distribute it outright, which would cost pennies per dose. We could make a huge impact on ending this pandemic, particularly among the vaccine hesitant, who will probably be open to taking a vitamin.
It is true that there is not yet a consensus on Vitamin D and COVID. However, it probably helps, and former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona declared, “We can’t wait for perfect evidence” before using it, and most New Yorkers need it anyway. In fact, even Dr. Anthony Fauci takes Vitamin D and recommends it, albeit without specifically endorsing it for COVID. Besides which, it has a low toxicity — to the point that some doctors believe the recommended Vitamin D intake should be about five times higher — so even the few New Yorkers who are not deficient are unlikely to suffer if their levels are high.
With an end to the COVID pandemic in sight, Vitamin D (or, to be more precise, having a healthy level of Vitamin D) could very well put us over the top. There may be a debate, but with a number of treatments receiving emergency use authorization, we can recommend a vitamin that most New Yorkers need anyway. If we listen to all the science, New Yorkers can emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.