This early research looks at what happens when cells within the small blood vessels of the heart are exposed to high levels of the spike protein in a laboratory setting. It could help to start to explain some of the effects of severe Covid-19 infection, where levels of the virus are particularly high.

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has largely defied attempts to contain its spread by non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). With the massive loss of life and economic damage, the only way out, in the absence of specific antiviral therapeutics, has been the development of vaccines to achieve population immunity.