Furthermore, E protein ion channel activity participates in the transport of Ca2+ in infected cells, which activates NLRP3 inflammasome and production of IL-1ß (14), a main contributor to severe inflammation that characterizes the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) observed in SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 patients (15, –, 17). Here, NLRP3 is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.