Vitamin C for Covid

Vitamin C for Covid

A major new international campaign is being launched to promote the widespread use of vitamin C wherever there is a raised risk of COVID-19 infection, as well as an additional treatment for those seriously infected. 

The launch of vitaminC4covid.com follows the publication of a major review of over 100 trials of the vitamin and the virus, which found that vitamin C could save the lives of those badly infected with COVID-19 and make the symptoms of milder infections less severe. The authors include several senior experts in intensive care. 

Already 20 medical and nutritional organisations from 49 countries worldwide are supporting the campaign. Over 5000 doctors, nutritionists, health scientists and members of the public have also signed up to support vitaminC4covid.com.

Vitamin C ignored despite evidence

Despite the extensive evidence, all detailed in the scientific review published in ‘Nutrients’, supporting the use of vitamin C in relation to COVID, details about its benefits are still being classified as ‘false information’. It is not yet recommended by governments and rarely prescribed by doctors. 

‘This is a tragedy. Vitamin C can reduce the number of people getting severely infected and dramatically reduce the risk of death in those critically ill in hospitals.

‘It is safer than water, inexpensive and widely available. The appropriate use of vitamin C as early as possible in infection, and in high intravenous doses in ICUs would potentially be a game-changer.

‘At the moment, people who could avoid catching it, or walk out of intensive care, are dying totally unnecessarily. No-one needs to die who doesn’t already have an end-stage disease.’ 

Campaign director and nutrition expert Patrick Holford

Simple test for vitamin C deficiency

The campaign is calling for widespread vitamin C testing. By using a simple, inexpensive, urine dip stick, those in vulnerable groups such as care home residents, who account for an estimated 48% of deaths, could be tested quickly and cheaply and high dose vitamin C administered if needed. 

According to the UK government’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 4%, of the population – that is 480,000 people – have blood levels of vitamin C that are so low they are defined as deficient and are comparable to the levels found in people with scurvy. 

One study found that almost half of those living in care homes are deficient.

This is because too often they don’t get enough vitamin C (and other nutrients) from their food and if you have a chronic disease, such as diabetes or heart disease, your body uses up your vitamin C supplies much faster. 

Patrick Holford explains once more:

‘On top of that viral infections rapidly deplete vitamin C stores. You are not likely to survive an acute infection, such as COVID-19, if you are deficient to start with. And you may be left with long-term symptoms if you are lucky enough to survive.’

Funding required for trials

VitaminC4covid.com will be raising funds to investigate the vitamin C status in care homes and to establish how much older, more vulnerable people need to reduce their risk. The campaign is also seeking funds to run the definitive trial on vitamin C and colds, including COVID, for reducing severity and duration of symptoms.

‘There is so much more we could do. China is already giving high dose vitamin C to hospitalised patients and intravenous vitamin C to the critically ill. They shipped in 50 million 1gram doses into Wuhan on February 2^nd and effectively wiped-out critical cases within a couple of months.’ 

Better evidence than for vitamin D

There are currently 45 trials registered using vitamin C around the world. The evidence is already considerably more substantial than that for vitamin D, another key COVID -19 defence nutrient which the government is already planning to supply for free.

The aim of the campaign is to get vitamin C taken seriously, both by governments, healthcare systems and individuals around the world. vitaminC4covid.com is calling for the following changes: 

‘There is no doubt vitamin C can play an important role in tackling this pandemic, and we are calling on the government and healthcare practitioners to use all the available tools in our arsenal to help people survive COVID-19’

You can add your support to the campaign to ‘put the C in COVID’ by signing the petition at www.vitaminC4covid.com (link to external website will open in a new browser window)

Further reading and resources

Under Threat Again – Mo Stewart intimidated by CCC

Six major conditions, 60% of ill-health

New 42p campaign for proper healthcare

You can download the full paper as a PDF (file will open in a new browser tab or window)

We have an extensive library of articles on various aspects of health and nutrition, written by our expert contributor, Mary Farmer.