A nano perspective behind the COVID-19 pandemic

The global pandemic scenario has definitely pushed the scientific community to develop COVID-19 vaccines at unprecedented speed. Nevertheless, a worldwide vaccination campaign is still far from being achieved, making the usual precautionary measures as necessary as at the beginning of the outbreak. Many aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 infectious potential and disease severity do not solely rely on interactions at the molecular level but also on physical-chemical parameters that often involve nanoscale effects. Here the SARS-CoV-2 journey to infect a susceptible host is reviewed, focusing on the nanoscale aspects that play a role in the viral infectivity and disease progression. These nanoscale-driven interactions are essential to establish mitigation-related strategies.