
A recent study conducted by researchers from Trinity College, Dublin, found a clear link between the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and Vitamin D deficiency.
The researchers found that countries which receive more or less uniform levels of sunlight through the year have lower mortality rates than countries where the days are much shorter in the winter and spring. They theorise that the difference in the mortality rates is because Vitamin D deficiency is much higher in countries where exposure to sunlight is limited during the winter and spring.
The findings of this study could also explain why coronavirus is killing more people in India’s cities than in the rest of the country. The vast majority of Indians living in cities and towns are severely Vitamin D deficient because of their indoor jobs. Vitamin D deficiency, combined with lifestyle diseases due to bad diets and sedentary lifestyles, is a recipe for disaster.
Though the majority of the urban population is Vitamin D deficient, correcting it does not take very long. Maintaining sufficiency with adequate supplementation is also fairly easy.
The Government should seriously consider investing in Vitamin D supplementation for India’s urban population.