Sunlight

Many papers have been published arguing for the potentially beneficial role of sunlight and vitamin D in supporting immune function against SARS CoV-2 (ref). UV light has been shown to have powerful anti-viral effects (ref). Sunlight is critical for the conversion of vitamin D in the body (ref). Vitamin D has potent immuno-modulating effects (ref).

Though some reports suggests vitamin D taken in supplement form may be helpful against COVID-19, getting direct sunlight may be the preferable method as it provides both the benefits of the sun as well as vitamin D (ref).

It is believed that about 20 minutes of sun-exposure per day is needed to obtain adequate vitamin D conversion (ref).

It is very unfortunate that many have interpreted “stay-at-home” orders to literally mean, stay inside the home. If there was ever a time that people should be seeking to get adequate amounts of sun exposure, it is during this pandemic.