High-dose vitamin D supplementation in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pneumonia hospitalized in a polyvalent intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study

Vasconcelos et al., Nutrition in Clinical Practice, doi:10.1002/ncp.11277, Feb 2025
Mortality, 60 days aft.. 73% improvement lower risk ← → higher risk Mortality, in hospital 67% Mortality, in ICU 87% Vitamin D  Vasconcelos et al.  ICU PATIENTS   Is very late treatment with vitamin D beneficial for COVID-19? Retrospective 126 patients in Portugal (April - October 2020) Lower mortality with vitamin D (p=0.023) c19early.org Vasconcelos et al., Nutrition in Clini.., Feb 2025 0 0.5 1 1.5 2+ RR
Vitamin D for COVID-19
8th treatment shown to reduce risk in October 2020, now with p < 0.00000000001 from 126 studies, recognized in 18 countries.
Lower risk for mortality, ICU, hospitalization, progression, recovery, cases, and viral clearance.
No treatment is 100% effective. Protocols combine treatments.
6,300+ studies for 210+ treatments. c19early.org
Meta Analysis
Retrospective ICU patients in Portugal, showing significantly lower mortality with vitamin D treatment.
This is the 125th of 126 COVID-19 controlled studies for vitamin D, which collectively show efficacy with p<0.0000000001 (1 in 155 septillion).
30 studies are RCTs, which show efficacy with p=0.0000032.
Standard of Care (SOC) for COVID-19 in the study country, Portugal, is very poor with very low average efficacy for approved treatments1. Only expensive, high-profit treatments were approved for early treatment. Low-cost treatments were excluded, reducing the probability of early treatment due to access and cost barriers, and eliminating complementary and synergistic benefits seen with many low-cost treatments. This may explain in part the very high mortality seen in this study. Results may differ in countries with improved SOC.
Important missing comments or errors? Let us know.
risk of death, 73.2% lower, RR 0.27, p = 0.02, treatment 9 of 72 (12.5%), control 18 of 54 (33.3%), NNT 4.8, adjusted per study, odds ratio converted to relative risk, 60 days after discharge, multivariable.
risk of death, 66.7% lower, RR 0.33, p = 0.04, treatment 9 of 72 (12.5%), control 16 of 54 (29.6%), NNT 5.8, adjusted per study, odds ratio converted to relative risk, in hospital, multivariable.
risk of death, 86.9% lower, RR 0.13, p = 0.006, treatment 3 of 72 (4.2%), control 13 of 54 (24.1%), NNT 5.0, adjusted per study, odds ratio converted to relative risk, in ICU, multivariable.
Effect extraction follows pre-specified rules prioritizing more serious outcomes. Submit updates
Vasconcelos et al., 19 Feb 2025, retrospective, Portugal, peer-reviewed, 3 authors, study period 14 April, 2020 - 31 October, 2020, dosage 125,000IU days 1-2.
$0 $500 $1,000+ Efficacy vs. cost for COVID-19 treatment protocols c19early.org December 2025 Portugal United Kingdom Russia USA Sudan Angola Colombia Kenya Mozambique Vietnam Peru Philippines China Uzbekistan Nepal Ethiopia Iran Ghana Mexico South Korea Germany Bangladesh Saudi Arabia Algeria Morocco Yemen Poland India DR Congo Madagascar Thailand Uganda Venezuela Nigeria Egypt Bolivia Taiwan Zambia Fiji Bosnia-Herzegovina Ukraine Côte d'Ivoire Bulgaria Greece Slovakia Singapore Iceland New Zealand Czechia Mongolia Israel Trinidad and Tobago Hong Kong North Macedonia Belarus Qatar Panama Serbia CAR Portugal favored high-profit treatments.The average efficacy of treatments was very low.High-cost protocols reduce early treatment, andforgo complementary/synergistic benefits. More effective More expensive 75% 50% 25% ≤0%
$0 $500 $1,000+ Efficacy vs. cost for COVID-19treatment protocols worldwide c19early.org December 2025 Portugal United Kingdom Russia USA Sudan Angola Colombia Kenya Mozambique Vietnam Peru Philippines China Uzbekistan Nepal Ethiopia Iran Ghana Mexico South Korea Germany Bangladesh Saudi Arabia Algeria Morocco Yemen Poland India DR Congo Madagascar Thailand Uganda Venezuela Nigeria Egypt Bolivia Zambia Fiji Bosnia-Herzegovina Ukraine Côte d'Ivoire Eritrea Bulgaria Greece Slovakia Singapore New Zealand Malawi Czechia Mongolia Israel Trinidad and Tobago North Macedonia Belarus Qatar Panama Serbia Syria Portugal favored high-profit treatments.The average efficacy was very low.High-cost protocols reduce early treatment,and forgo complementary/synergistic benefits. More effective More expensive 75% 50% 25% ≤0%
Late treatment
is less effective
Please send us corrections, updates, or comments. c19early involves the extraction of 200,000+ datapoints from thousands of papers. Community updates help ensure high accuracy. Treatments and other interventions are complementary. All practical, effective, and safe means should be used based on risk/benefit analysis. No treatment or intervention is 100% available and effective for all current and future variants. We do not provide medical advice. Before taking any medication, consult a qualified physician who can provide personalized advice and details of risks and benefits based on your medical history and situation. IMA and WCH provide treatment protocols.
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