Dr. John Faul:

With regard to respiratory infections, I want to back up what Professor Rose Anne Kenny said. It has been looked at in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, in detail in large studies which showed that it is protective, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis who respond better after an exacerbation if they are vitamin D deficient and the vitamin D is supplemented. Cystic fibrosis is a particular problem because they have malabsorption of vitamin D. It is routine for cystic fibrosis patients to take vitamins A, D, E and K on a continual basis because of malabsorption. Without vitamin D supplementation they do worse after an exacerbation of cystic fibrosis.

In fairness, we would not be here to talk about asthma, COPD or cystic fibrosis. It appears to be a specific thing for the infection with SARS-CoV-2 and vitamin D deficiency has a powerful impact. That is what we are stressing. I do not think we are here to say that if we give vitamin D supplementation it will cure all ills and fix everybody with every respiratory condition but it is crucial in the current pandemic because of the lack of resources, lack of ventilator beds and the crisis in the hospitals right now. If we can reduce the severity of people's disease, and it must be remembered that pneumonia is the number one killer in Covid and it is taking up our ventilators and people are in hospital for long periods of time, and if vitamin D supplementation can help that I believe we should do it. Within the area of respiratory conditions Covid appears to have a very specific problem in terms of vitamin D deficiency.