There has been some mention in the media concerning the role of Vitamin D in helping to fight the virus, particularly if the lungs are affected. Also, Vitamin D deficiency might be one of the reasons why there is a higher percentage of deaths in people from the BAME population in the UK, because dark skin struggles to make sufficient amounts of Vit D in the UK climate.
I wonder if this issue may also be relevant in the many elderly people who have died with/of the virus? Remembering my elderly parents in their final years, they got precious little sunshine as they lost mobility in old age, and preferred to sit indoors on a comfy sofa, rather than go outside in their lovely (previously cherished) garden. Also, when Dad eventually went into a care home, it was nigh on impossible to get him to go out into the garden there, no matter how sunny it was. The other residents were just the same - they developed an aversion to fresh air and sunshine!
I take a Vit D supplement during the winter, but get plenty of sunshine the rest if the year, pottering about in my garden, so figure I don't need it then. I tan fairly easily and definitely feel healthier and happier once I have decent dose of sun each day. So, I am offsetting the risk of skin cancer against the benefits of a light tan, and the possible help that Vit D might give me, to fight the virus if I catch it.
Do you think that Vit D has a key role to play in fighting this virus? Do GPs tend to prescribe Vit D supplements for elderly people, as a general way to support health? (I know that Dad was given multivitamins in the care home, as his appetite declined towards the end.)