Lead by Professor Adrian Martineau, this clinical trial is looking to investigate the potential of Vitamin D to reduce incidence and severity of COVID-19 and other acute respiratory infections.Strategies to boost the UK population’s immunity to respiratory infections are urgently needed even after the successful development of effective vaccines for COVID-19. There have been recent debates as to whether vitamin D – the ‘sunshine vitamin’ – could play a key role in protecting people from coronavirus; however, definite evidence on this is lacking.The trial has attracted significant interest from the media and the UK Department of Health and BBC News has also broadcasted a short film about the study:
We are incredibly grateful to all the generous donors and supporters who have helped make this trial possible: Barts Charity, Pharma Nord Ltd, the Fischer Family Trust, DSM Nutritional Products Ltd, the Karl R Pfleger Foundation, the AIM Foundation, Synergy Biologics Ltd, the UK National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network, the UKRI Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, Thornton & Ross Ltd, Warburtons Ltd, Mr Matthew Isaacs (personal donation), and Hyphens Pharma Ltd.
The UK government already recommends that people take a low-dose vitamin D supplement over the winter to protect their bone health, but we do not know if this will have effect on COVID-19 or if higher doses might be able to provide protection against the virus. The CORONAVIT trial will test whether higher doses of vitamin D might offer protection against winter respiratory infections including COVID-19.