Thrombosis and COVID-19 pneumonia: the clot thickens!

At the end of last year, a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), resulted in an acute respiratory illness epidemic in Wuhan, China [1, 2]. The World Health Organization (WHO) termed this illness coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The coronavirus family have been shown to enter cells through binding angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), found mainly on alveolar epithelium and endothelium. Activation of endothelial cells is thought to be the primary driver for the increasingly recognised complication of thrombosis.