Here we report a case where the manifestations of insulin-dependent diabetes occurred following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a young individual in the absence of autoantibodies typical for type 1 diabetes mellitus. Specifically, a 19-year-old white male presented at our emergency department with diabetic ketoacidosis, C-peptide level of 0.62 µg l-1 , blood glucose concentration of 30.6 mmol l-1 (552 mg dl-1) and haemoglobin A1c of 16.8%. The patient´s case history revealed probable COVID-19 infection 5-7 weeks before admission, based on a positive test for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 proteins as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Interestingly, the patient carried a human leukocyte antigen genotype (HLA DR1-DR3-DQ2) considered to provide only a slightly elevated risk of developing autoimmune type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, as noted, no serum autoantibodies were observed against islet cells, glutamic acid decarboxylase, tyrosine phosphatase, insulin and zinc-transporter 8. Although our report cannot fully establish causality between COVID-19 and the development of diabetes in this patient, considering that SARS-CoV-2 entry receptors, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, are expressed on pancreatic β-cells and, given the circumstances of this case, we suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection, or COVID-19, might negatively affect pancreatic function, perhaps through direct cytolytic effects of the virus on β-cells. The recent COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus represents a worldwide health crisis causing severe illness and death, especially in people with cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities 1,2. SARS-CoV-2 enters human cells via angiotensinconverting enzyme 2 (ACE2) 3 , a transmembrane glycoprotein with proteolytic activity also found in human pancreatic β-cells 4 , suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 might alter pancreatic β-cell function and impair insulin secretion. Several recently published studies indicate a link between COVID-19 and diabetes: for example, acute hyper glycaemia has been observed in a large number of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2, regardless of any past medical history of diabetes 5-8. In another study in Asia, patients were reported