ACE2 and COVID-19: During COVID-19 pulmonary distress puts an increasing burden on the previously weakened cardiovascular system with a damaged pulmonary endothelial barrier, fluid extravasation, hypoxia, heightened inflammation (possibly through the decreased airway ACE2 levels in CVD patients [216,236,237]) and hypercoagulability, which culminate in possible acute consequences such as myocardial injury, infarction, heart failure, thrombosis or arrythmias [251,257,258,259].