Researchers in Belgium have discovered a “clear link” between low levels of vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19 cases.
Studies consistently show that at least 40 percent of the Belgian population has inadequate levels of vitamin D, known as the “sunshine vitamin.” But scientist from AZ Delta hospital in West Flanders, who analyzed blood samples from 186 people during the first wave of the pandemic, found that severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted for care showed much higher rates of vitamin D deficiency.
“Up to 75 percent of COVID-19 patients were vitamin D deficient on admission. That’s a lot,” said Dieter de Smet, director of the AZ Delta laboratory. “We also saw that the more severe the COVID-19 pneumonia was, the more pronounced vitamin D deficiency was.”


