Government 'looking at possible benefits of vitamin D'published at 16:32 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2020
Former Conservative minister David Davis raises the idea of vitamin D - which is currently being trialled in the UK to see if it can offer a boost against Covid.
UK residents are already advised to consider taking supplements over winter when vitamin D levels can dip. But that's to improve general health, not specifically to stop infections.
Mr Davis said: "Over the weekend a number of eminent scientists called on the government to try to resolve the vitamin D deficiency issues in the United Kingdom to reduce the severity of the pandemic.
"There have been dozens of studies over hundreds of countries in the last six months which show or imply, anyway, that this could reduce the infection rates by half... and the case death rates by half again."
The PM replied that "we are indeed looking at the possible beneficial effects of vitamin D and... I know we will be updating the House shortly."