SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: facing the pandemic together as citizens and cardiovascular practitioners

Despite their highbrow name, coronarvirus have proved eminently disruptive in recent years. Since the epidemic of severe respiratory distress syndrome (SARS) due to the SARS-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MER S) due to the MER S-related coronavirus (MER S-CoV), several experts could expect the advent of additional epidemics due to coronaviruses. Yet, the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus-associated disease 2019 (COVID -2019) due to the infection from SARS-CoV-2 (also known as 2019-nCoV) has wreaked havoc worldwide (Figure 1). As Italian citizens and cardiovascular practitioners, we are now facing this storm, with a mix of incredulity, fear, boldness, and sense of duty.