Fig. 1

Sequential thresholds in virus-evoked inflammation. A hypothetical multifactorial model of disease progression in COVID-19 is presented. Two specific pathways have been described, and an interplay is likely to occur. At all phases restoration of homeostasis is possible and will lead to recovery. The development of differentiated treatment concepts may benefit from this model, guide tailored interventions at different stages of disease progression. Abbreviations: ALI, acute lung injury; ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; PAMPs, pathogen associated molecular patterns; DAMPs, damage associated molecular patterns