Clipped from Email
On reviewing a simple intervention in a nursing home on my patients I had a second look into the situation on a ward that was otherwise devastated. I had to make sure this is true since I had a hard time believing it myself.
On a ward with 67 patients that would normally have 74 residents COVID 19 struck and at the end of it 28 patients died or 42%
I had 13 of these patients and along with the COVID protocol used in all patients who became sick I also gave them 10,000IU of vitamin D daily for a week and then resumed the usual dose of 2000IU daily.
Only 2 died or a 15 % death rate! My population was similar to others on the ward and I fully expected 2 males who have morbid obesity/comorbidities to succumb but they did not. Is this statistically significant…. I’m not sure but this is quite a surprising difference. The only intervention aside from usual COVID care was the vitamin D. All my patients normally get 2000IU daily in the nursing home after a study reported that 94% of residents have adequate levels of vitamin D after a few months. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20440692/ ( 5 months -  PDF from sci-hub)
Vitamin D deficiency is common especially in nursing homes and in the winter in the general population in northern latitudes. Levels required for proper immune function are considerably higher (25(OH)D about 100-150nmol/l) Our bones do ok on much less,
This simple intervention for a modifiable risk factor is safe , cheap, and effective when used right at the onset of disease. Timing is everything. Once the cytokine storm is well under way it is difficult to reverse.
Gerry Schwalfenberg MD, CCFP FCFP
Assistant Clinical Professor in Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada
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Follow-on email #1: Not allowed to get Vitamin D tests (Canada, etc)
We are unable to do tests on vitamin D, our public system only allows testing where we suspect metabolic bone disease
Follow-on email #2: unable to prescribe what was needed
All residents under my care are on 2000iu daily achieving good levels as in our study a few years ago after a few months, using the hammer as I wrote about would have been preferable however pharmacy was resistant/reluctant to use this but complied with this request Started on 10,000 the day of positive COVID test or the next day ....
Many vitamin D articles and videos by Schwalfenberg in Canada such as
- Influenza prevented by 40 ng levels or treated with vitamin D hammer (50,000 IU) – June 2015
- Optimal level of vitamin D is 40 ng, 93 percent of Canadians do not have optimal levels – Oct 2017
- Sun is needed, but as with ice cream, getting too much can cause problems – Aug 2015
Items in both categories Virus and Mortality are listed here:
- Vitamin D supplementation and high levels reduce COVID-19 deaths in elderly – Review April 17, 2021
- Less COVID-19 infection, mortality in countries with higher Vitamin D (Asia in this case) – May 2021
- Risk of COVID-19 death was 4.9 X higher if very low vitamin D – March 31, 2021
- COVID-19 mortality 2X higher if low Vitamin D (Mexican hospital, preprint) - March 2021
- All COVID-19 patients had low vitamin D, the lowest were more likely to die – Feb 18, 2021
- 2.7 fewer COVID-19 hospital deaths in those having more than 30 ng of vitamin D – Mayo Jan 9, 2021
- Worse COVID-19 patients got 400,000 IU of vitamin D, deaths cut in half – Jan 14, 2021
- Iranians with COVID-19 were 2.3 X more likely to die if low vitamin D – Jan 2021
- Poor COVID-19 prognosis was 6 X more likely if low vitamin D – Jan 21, 2021
- 30 x fewer COVID-19 deaths in those getting 400,000 IU of Vitamin D - Jan 2021
- 2.8 X fewer COVID-19 nursing home deaths if add 10,000 IU Vitamin D daily for a week (small observation)- Jan 2021
- Italian nursing home COVID-19 – 4X less likely to die if taking Vitamin D– Dec 22, 2020
- Those getting intermittent vitamin D were 7 X less likely to die of COVID-19 - Dec 11, 2020
- COVID-19 male mortality increased 3.9 X if low vitamin D – observation Nov 25, 2020
- Hospital COVID-19 observation: 7X more likely to live if more than 20 ng of vitamin D– Nov 19, 2020
- COVID-19 lung death 4X more likely in Iran if less than 25 ng of vitamin D – Oct 30, 2020
- 9X COVID-19 survival in nursing home if had 80,000 IU dose of vitamin D in previous month – Oct 2020
- 14.7 X more likely to die of COVID-19 if less than 12 ng of Vitamin D (185 Germans) – Sept 10, 2020
- COVID ARDS deaths 2X more likely if less than 10 ng of Vitamin D – Aug 8, 2020
- COVID-19 mortality rate highest North of 35 degrees latitude (Vitamin D) – April 20, 2020
COVID-19 treated by Vitamin D - studies, reports, videos
As of April 17 the page had: 34 trials, 5 trial results, 17 meta-analyses and reviews, 55 observations, 34 recommendations, 53 associations, 86 speculations, 43 videos see related: Governments, HealthProblems, Hospitals, Dark Skins, 26 risk factors are ALL associated with low Vit D, Recent Virus pages Fight COVID-19 with 50K Vit D weekly
Note: >70% of the Trials using Vitamin D to fight COVID-19 are using at least 100,000 IU during the first week