Latitude Dependence of the COVID-19 Mortality Rate—A Possible Relationship to Vitamin D Deficiency?

14 Pages Posted: 25 Jun 2020 Last revised: 5 Dec 2022

See all articles by Mark Braiman

Mark Braiman

Syracuse University Department of Chemistry

Date Written: March 26, 2020

Abstract

The latitude dependence of death rates due to COVID-19 infection suggests a possible relationship to vitamin D deficiency. This relationship is made stronger when one compares the surprisingly low rates of vitamin D deficiency in Scandinavian countries to their correspondingly low rates of death among COVID-19 patients. At the same time, low-latitude nations that report the highest death rates due to COVID-19 (Indonesia and the Philippines) have also previously reported unexpectedly high rates of vitamin D deficiency. The analysis presented here, while of meager statistical rigor, suggests that public-health authorities around the world should quickly develop an inexpensive but rigorous experimental test of the following simple hypothesis: COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are correlated with vitamin D deficiency.

Note: Funding: My research was self-supported (no supporting organization to report)

Declaration of Interest: None to declare

Keywords: coronavirus, morbidity, mortality, weather, temperature, humidity, tropics

Suggested Citation

Braiman, Mark, Latitude Dependence of the COVID-19 Mortality Rate—A Possible Relationship to Vitamin D Deficiency? (March 26, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3561958 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3561958

Mark Braiman (Contact Author)

Syracuse University Department of Chemistry ( email )

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