Could help explain why COVID-19 is much more severe (on average) if you’re black...

It's definitely a factor!

The literature states 1000-2000 is safe for basically anyone, but you really shouldn't be taking more than that without actually going to a doctor and getting your deficiency confirmed. Just because you have darker skin, it doesn't mean taking a higher oral dose won't cause other issues.

IIRC daily doses above 2000 over a longer timespan can (infrequently) cause your vitamin B12 levels to fall off, and/or the amount of calcium in your blood to build up, so your doctor might want to schedule a follow-up appointment after some time has passed to make sure those levels still look okay, and adjust supplements for those variables accordingly.

If you have an easy access doctor around to ask, I completely agree with that!

If you're not going to see a doctor about this, for laziness/poverty/whatever reasons, I think the average risk from not taking Vitamin D is vastly bigger than the risk from taking it.