*Can Vitamin supplements help in fighting the war against COVID-19?*
Vitamins take the center stage for a good normal immunity in every person. When people claim vitamin supplements to boost immunity, we need to consider two situations:
1. The host is malnourished and vitamin deficiency is already there
2. The host has no vitamin deficiency and is on a normal balanced diet
Whereas this is a well-proven matter for over the last several decades that vitamin deficiency is a disadvantage for the immunity of the individual. And therefore the first category of the above persons will definitely benefit. But we must consider that vitamins may remain deficient in many normal looking individuals.
We are looking towards the WHO for everything and for new guidelines. But we also must appreciate that COVID-19 is a virus and the pathogenesis and basic immunology of viruses’ infection also does apply to it.
When a virus first enters the person, the body is unable to recognize it unless the same virus has in the past has produced an *adaptive immunity*.
The white blood cells cannot act against it. The virus enters the cell and starts producing new proteins. The natural killer cells produce interferon which stops the growth of more viruses and ultimately the Natural Killer cells clears the infection.
Most of the time *innate immunity* do this job on a regular basis. That’s why more than 96 to 98 percent of the people infected with COVID-19 are getting cured. But we have not faced COVID-19 ever before in life, so there is no acquired immunity to this pathogen at present.
Therefore, we depend on ‘Prevention’ from exposure and our ‘Innate immunity’ to save our lives.
If you or your patients are likely to have a deficiency of vitamins- this is the correct time to give them a supplement. But sometimes it’s hard to judge if there is a deficiency of vitamins or not. I better leave it to your decision whether you would like to take supplements, at this time when you need your innate immunity the most.
*Usual dosage (Take medical advice/ dosage recommendation can vary widely)*
1. Cap Vitamin A 5000 IU PO/ NG BD for 15 days
2. Vitamin D 60K PO weekly for 1 month
3. Vitamin E 400 mg PO/ daily 15 days
4. Vitamin C 1000- 3000 mg per day PO/IV for 15
5. Tab Pyridoxine 40mg BD/ PO for 15 days
