Vitamin D deficiency may raise risk of getting COVID-19, study finds

It’s important to note that the study only found the two conditions were frequently seen together; it does not prove causation. Meltzer and colleagues are currently planning further clinical trials.

Half of Americans are thought to be deficient in vitamin D, with much higher rates seen in African Americans, Hispanics and individuals living in areas like Chicago where it is difficult to get enough sun exposure in winter. (However, research has also shown that some kinds of vitamin D tests don’t detect the form of vitamin D that is present in a majority of African Americans—which means those tests might falsely diagnose vitamin D deficiencies in those individuals. This particular study accepted either kind of test as criteria.)