THE Observer on Sunday (10th January) had two full pages in the magazine section on vitamin D's benefits to the immune system and especially for Covid resistance.

It is basically what I have been saying since March (including letters to the Echo) with some extra recent research added.

What seems criminally incompetent is that the government, whilst inching their way to recommending vitamin D supplementation, have failed completely to make this clear and to recommend that everyone supplements on vitamin D as a top health priority in these Covid times.

Unfortunately, it is not just the politicians to blame but the apparently oblivious leaders of our health establishment organisations, such as the Department of Health.

They stick in the mud with the 'not proven' line because they have failed to fund good quality research into vitamin D.

This is really sacrificing the lives of thousands of people whilst waiting for unfunded 'gold standard' research to be done.

Having said that there has been some good quality research done abroad (e.g. a Spanish hospital study with a control group in September), but 'foreign' research seems to take years to prompt action from our health supremos.

I have been very frustrated in the past over the health establishment's sometimes frankly ignorant responses (e.g. not acting on the proven serious dangers of water fluoridation) but the vitamin D saga trumps even that.

John Spottiswoode

Southampton