Abstract: Vitamin D, D-binding protein, free vitamin D and COVID-19 mortality in hospitalized patients. Short title: Vitamin D and COVID-19 mortality PT Martin Hewison5, Rene F Chun6, Andrea Jorgensen7, Paul Richardson1, Darshan Nitchingham1, RI Joseph Aslan1, Maya Shah1, Coonoor R Chandrasekar8, Amanda Wood9, Mike Beadsworth10, Department of Gastroenterology, Liverpool University Hospital Foundation NHS Trust, Liverpool, N U 1 SC Munir Pirmohamed11 Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, University M 2 A UK 3 IT ED of Liverpool Department of Clinical Chemistry, Liverpool University Hospital Foundation NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, ED 4 N Liverpool, UK Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham 6 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles 7 Department of Health Data Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK 8 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Liverpool University Hospital Foundation NHS Trust, IN A L U 5 Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Liverpool University Hospital Foundation NHS Trust, O RI 9 G Liverpool, UK Liverpool, UK © Crown copyright 2022. This article contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). Sreedhar Subramanian1, 2 ¶, Jonathan M Rhodes2, , Joseph M Taylor3, Anna M Milan3, Steven Lane4, 10 Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit, Liverpool University Hospital Foundation NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK 11 Department of Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Liverpool ¶ Corresponding author: Consultant Gastroenterologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer PT Department of Gastroenterology RI Liverpool University Hospital Foundation NHS Trust and University of Liverpool SC Prescot Street Liverpool L7 8XP, UK N U Email: sreedhar.subramanian@liverpoolft.nhs.uk A Acknowledgements: None M Registration: The study protocol was approved by the London-Surrey Research Ethics Committee IT ED (20/HRA/2282). Funding Source: This research was funded by an internal departmental grant from Liverpool ED University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The funders had no input into study design or final Guarantor of the article A L U Dr Sreedhar Subramanian N analysis. IN Author contributions: SS, JR, MP, JT and AM were involved in study design and initial drafting G of the manuscript. SL was involved in data analysis. All authors revised and approved the final O RI version of the manuscript. Sreedhar Subramanian, MD, FRCP Conflict of interest: JMR with the University of Liverpool and Provexis UK, holds a patent for use of a soluble fibre preparation as maintenance therapy for Crohn’s disease plus a patent for its use in antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. Patent also held with the University of Liverpool and others in relation to use of modified heparins in cancer therapy. SS has received speaker fees from MSD, Actavis, Abbvie, Dr Falk pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Takeda, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Shire and Abbvie, Dr Falk..