This review of the literature suggests that NK cells may play an important role in both CoV clearance and immunopathology. The continued probing of NK cell involvement is essential for a more complete understanding of CoV pathophysiology and for the deployment of immunotherapeutics. Depending on the patient, the stage of disease, and other still poorly understood factors, it may be necessary to either boost NK cell activity to ensure viral clearance, e.g., at exposure or during early infection, or to finely tune NK cell effector functions in late stage infections to prevent hyper-cytokinemia and inflammatory lung damage. Indeed, all CoVs that infect humans are zoonoses and there is an extensive reservoir of CoVs that could serve as a source for future pandemics (14, 153). Therefore, a broader understanding of the immune response to coronaviruses and insights into therapeutic implications will be of significant value not only for the current COVID-19 pandemic, but also for potential future pandemics.