(SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread worldwide and presents critical challenges for the public health and medical communities. The World Health Organization has declared SARS-CoV-2 a public health emergency of international concern, with a global estimate of over 7 million human infections and more than 400 000 deaths worldwide as of June 12, 2020. 1 A 2020 report by the China Medical Treatment Expert Group for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) 2 showed that the clinical spectrum of the viral infection is dominated by fever (up to 88.7% of patients during hospitalization) and cough (67.8% of patients), followed by symptoms such as headache, fatigue, or shortness of breath. Rapid deterioration of lung function, disproportionate to the magnitude of pneumonia, has implicated the cytokine storm as a major life-threatening complication of COVID-19 infection. To date, other than antibiotic therapy and ventilator support, no drug therapies have shown clear benefit in patients with COVID-19. Nevertheless, understanding the mechanisms underlying the complications from the infection is critical.