2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents as a newly recognized pneumonia and could rapidly progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome which has brought about a global pandemic. Until now, no curative therapy has been strongly recommended for COVID-19 except for personalized supportive care. T cells and virus-specific T cells are essential to protect against virus infection, including COVID-19. Delayed immune reconstitution (IR) and cytokine storm (CS) remain serious obstacles for the cure of COVID-19. Most COVID-19 patients, especially among elderly patients, had marked lymphopenia and increased neutrophils, but T cell counts in severe COVID-19 patients surviving the disease gradually restored later. Elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6, IL-10, IL-2 and IL-17, and exhausted Highlights • Delayed immune reconstitution (IR) and cytokine storm (CS) remain serious obstacles for the cure of COVID-19. • It suggests that Thymosin α1 and adoptive COVID-19-specific T cells could improve IR, while convalescent plasma, IL-6 blockade, mesenchymal stem cells and corticosteroids could suppress CS.
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