Can drinking coffee daily lower your risk of COVID-19 infection? Doctor weighs in

A new study suggests that having at least one cup of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Anthony Cardillo, an ER specialist and CEO of Mend Urgent Care in Los Angeles, joined Eyewitness News to discuss whether consuming the caffeinated drink can in fact boost an individual's immunity against the virus.

"It was a very interesting study. There (were) 40,000 participants, but really, it was a retrospective study looking from the years 2006-2010 and then trying to extrapolate the coffee consumption and if any people in that group then went on to get COVID," he said.

The number of people who did were very low, but Cardillo still has his reservations about that hypothesis.

"It did demonstrate some protective mechanism, but I wouldn't go around at this juncture stating that drinking coffee is protective against COVID. There (were) some protective elements but let's just keep it at that for now," he said.

Watch the video in the media player above for more from Dr. Cardillo on herd immunity and the COVID-19 vaccine.