The majority of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected individuals remain paucisymptomatic, contrasting with a minority of infected individuals in danger of death. Here, we speculate that the robust disease resistance of most individuals is due to a swift production of type I interferon (IFNα/β), presumably sufficient to lower the viremia. A minority of infected individuals with a preexisting chronic inflammatory state fail to mount this early efficient response, leading to a delayed harmful inflammatory response. To improve the epidemiological scenario, we propose combining: (i) the development of efficient antivirals administered early enough to assist in the production of endogenous IFNα/β; (ii) potentiating early IFN responses; (iii) administering anti-inflammatory treatments when needed, but not too early to interfere with endogenous antiviral responses.
Keywords: COVID-19; IFNα/β; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral molecules; cytokine storm; immunomodulators.
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