key: cord-0952785-bxgrz377 authors: Ishii, Nobuyoshi; Terao, Takeshi; Hirakawa, Hirofumi title: Association between trace levels of lithium in drinking water and COVID‐19‐associated mortality date: 2020-09-30 journal: Bipolar Disord DOI: 10.1111/bdi.12991 sha: 53a094c82f1671099feb1e0fd1a580a7fbc3700b doc_id: 952785 cord_uid: bxgrz377 Lithium, widely used in treating bipolar disorder, also exhibits antiviral activity.1 Lithium's antiviral effects may extend to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-19), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Lithium, widely used in treating bipolar disorder, also exhibits antiviral activity. 1 Lithium's antiviral effects may extend to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 2 show that SARS-CoV-2 inhibition starts at very high lithium levels (>5 mEq/L). 2 This preliminary study investigates whether trace lithium, such as that in drinking water, may be associated with a low COVID-19 mortality. In addition to the lithium data in drinking water from our recent study, 3 Hirofumi Hirakawa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7782-5807 Lithium and coronaviral infections. A scoping review Lithium's antiviral effects: a potential drug for CoViD-19 disease? Lithium in drinking water and suicide prevention: The largest nationwide epidemiological study from Japan