More than 2.5 million people in England will get free vitamin D

 More than 2.5 million people in England will be provided free vitamin D by the government, officials said.

Care homes in England will automatically acquire supplies of the supplement for their residents in plans declared on Saturday. A letter will be sent to people with a medically extremely vulnerable list giving them the opportunity to opt-in for a supply to their homes.

The free deliveries will begin in January, providing 4 months’ worth of vitamin D to up to 2.7 million people.

Public Health England (PHE) says that even in a normal winter, everyone should take 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily between October and early March, especially the elderly, people who do not go out, people with dark skin and it's particularly important this year because of coronavirus.

Vitamin D has always been referred to as the sunshine vitamin because, from the end of March to late September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight. The body makes vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outside, but people do not get enough vitamin D from sunlight from October to early March.

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic and lockdown action, people are living inside longer than usual, many people may have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “Because of the awesome sacrifices made by the British people to control the pandemic, many of us have spent more time indoors this year and maybe deficient in vitamin D.

"The government is taking steps to ensure that vulnerable people can get free supplies during the dark months of winter. This will support their general health, keep their muscles and bones healthy and, crucially, reduce the pressure on our NHS. "

Anyone who can afford vitamin D supplements is said to begin taking them now, even if they are eligible for delivery next year.

Research is underway to investigate the link between vitamin D and covid-19, including a project at Queen Mary University in London, to determine if improving people’s vitamin D deficiencies over winter can lower the risk of Covid-19 and other acute respiratory infections.