This 1997 study in hamsters found multiple changes in the cells and structures of the diabetic lung, including increased macrophage adherence to the alveolar lumen, thickening of the alveolar endothelium, and enlargement of the extracellular matrix. These changes may explain the impairments in pulmonary function seen in diabetics.

To date, many epidemic projections and policies addressing COVID-19 have been designed without seroprevalence data to inform epidemic parameters. This April 2020 preprint research measured the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Santa Clara County, finding a population prevalence that implies the infection is much more widespread than indicated by the number of confirmed cases.