More than a year after the emergence of COVID-19 the world is still at a standstill facing rapid spread and new mutations of SARS-CoV-2. Many countries are struggling to have any grip on this pandemic and dealing with scarcity of new vaccines. Despite implementing preventive measures like hand washing, masks, and social distancing, the daily infections and deaths attributed to COVID-19 continue to rise.

Worldwide, 2.2 million people died of this infection with upwards of 104 million COVID-19 cases. Drastic lockdowns threw millions of people into extreme poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, and due to lack of access to nutritious food, more people have compromised immunity, thus increased susceptibility to infections. Although pharmaceutical companies are racing to produce drugs and anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines became available, their efficacy is now being questioned with rapidly mutating coronavirus variants. It is a well-known fact that people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer have impaired immunity and are prone to serious complications from COVID-19. In this critical situation, several clinical trials have been conducted with vitamin C and other nutrients in COVID-19 patients, some with promising results. Health care providers also turned to natural approaches to improve immunity and curb the spread of infections.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned that having diabetes significantly increases one’s chances of developing serious complications which could potentially be life-threatening. Although diabetes has increased globally, it has exponentially risen in the developing countries due to sedentary lifestyles, and fast food diets rich in artificial sugars and fat which can lead to obesity and other disorders. Obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and impaired glucose metabolism are now collectively called metabolic syndrome.

During the current coronavirus pandemic, diabetes has become a serious concern. People with type 1, type 2 and pregnancy-related (gestational) diabetes are at a higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19 which could potentially be life-threatening. Having diabetes reduces a person’s immunity and thereby increases the chances of contracting any viral or bacterial infection and having delayed recovery.

Every day hundreds of thousands of people in the US and all over the world are being infected and thousands are dying due to the novel coronavirus. This pandemic is not slowing down; moreover, the experts are warning about an upcoming “second wave” of more serious infections. A pandemic or a worldwide infection can develop only when the immune system of the majority of the world’s populace is compromised and is unable to resist an aggressive virus or another pathogen. COVID-19 is a disease caused by a type of virus called SARS-CoV-2 in the coronavirus family. While this virus primarily affects the respiratory system, it has also been shown to affect the digestive and cardiovascular systems leading to multiple organ failure.

Read the Open Letter by Dr. Matthias Rath On the 2020 Pandemic
A pandemic is currently threatening the health and lives of people around the world and ruining the economies of entire nations. The shockwave from this pandemic is only surpassed by the audacity through which potentially life-saving information on the possible containment of the pandemic is being systematically withheld from the people, as well as from many political decision-takers worldwide.

Social life is being disturbed, basic civil rights are being taken away, and economic damage in unprecedented proportions is being accepted, all in the name of curtailing the pandemic. And yet neither the so-called ‘experts’ nor the politicians they advise are providing people with the most basic – and potentially life-saving – health advice: An optimum intake of vitamins and other essential micronutrients is a key measure for anyone to strengthen their immune system. This scientific fact – recognized by nine Nobel Prizes and documented in countless textbooks of biology and biochemistry around the world – is notoriously absent from essentially every public health recommendation.

The news about a novel coronavirus infection and COVID-19 spread faster worldwide than the infection itself creating concerns and fears. In most cases this infection generates mild flu symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, a sore throat and mild fever. However, in older people and those with weakened immunity due to other health problems, it can lead to respiratory complications with serious consequences, and even death.

We are exposed to a variety of infectious agents in the environment such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. One of the recently published studies indicates that viruses can spread from one person to another through very fine air particles exchanged just by breathing.¹ The tiny particles stay suspended in the air for a long time, even when the person may not be symptomatically ill. That means a sick person does not need to be coughing or sneezing to spread the virus. Any seasonal change challenges our immune system with new pathogens; therefore, our immune system needs to be functioning at its optimum to fight infectious agents.

Everyone is exposed to a variety of infectious agents in the environment such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Any seasonal change challenges our immune system with new pathogens. This year - even before the start of the flu season - the World Health Organization has declared Zika virus infections an international public health emergency. The Zika virus is not a new virus and is similar to other viruses transmitted by mosquitoes such as West Nile virus, dengue, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis. The symptoms of Zika virus infection are similar to normal flu symptoms. They include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, rash and conjunctivitis. Often there are no symptoms, and in most cases people are not aware that they are infected while they are spreading the virus. Currently, mosquito control is the only way for prevention from Zika infection and there are no treatments available. Therefore, it would be prudent to understand how to support our body’s immune system and protect it against Zika or other viral and infectious pathogens.