1. Introduction

Over the past 20 years, two previous coronavirus infections, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), emerged as potential epidemics. More recently in December 2019, the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Disease Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) appeared in Wuhan, China, causing the previously unknown and potentially lethal COVID-19 infection; it has subsequently spread worldwide.[1],[2] Over the first four months of 2020, COVID-19 has evolved into a global crisis, far exceeding the impact of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. As of April 27 2020, there have been over 3 million infections reported worldwide, stressing not only healthcare systems but also the global economy. An effective curative treatment for COVID-19 has not been identified.[3],[4]