Acute organ failure, especially pulmonary failure (acute respiratory distress syndrome, ARDS) is the key mechanism for 2019-nCov's fatality. Significantly increased oxidative stress due to the rapid release of free radicals and cytokines etc. is the hallmark of ARDS which leads to cellular injury, organ failure and death. Early use of large dose antioxidants, especially vitamin C (VC), therefore, plays a key role in the management of these patients.

Dietary antioxidants (vitamin C and sulforaphane) were shown to reduce oxidative-stress-induced acute inflammatory lung injury in patients receiving mechanical ventilation [15]. Other antioxidants (curcumin) have also been shown to have promising anti-inflammatory potential in pneumonia