Covid-19 was initially found in China for the first time in 2019 which was later declared by the World Health Organization as a pandemic. 1, 3, 9 This virus is a single stranded ribonucleic acid virus. The pathogenesis of this disease is still being constructed every day. 10, 11 So far, the research and literature available shows that the main mechanism by which the virus is infecting the host cell is by adhering its surface glycoprotein S with Angiotensin Converting enzyme 2 on epithelial cells and endothelial cells of the host. 2, 12, 13 Cell injury and destruction are seen as consequences once the virus enters the host cell, which in turn stimulate innate and adaptive immune system. 1, 14, 15

Our study identified various morphological forms of all 3 cell lines in peripheral blood. Among 89 Covid – 19 patients, 66.2% showed normocytic normochromic blood picture, 22% showed normocytic normochromic anemia, very few cases showed microcytic hypochromic cells. All the patients showed normal platelets. However, 14.6% patients showed macro and 24.7% giant platelets. The abnormal forms in WBC’s include band forms, toxic granules, hypersegmented neutrophils, monolobulated nucleus, ring forms and foetal forms. Reactive lymphocytes, plasmacytoid cells were seen along with normal lymphocytes. Similar morphological forms are also reported in other studies. But very few authors have completely described the morphological forms in the peripheral smear.

A study done by Singh A et al showed the various morphological forms of neutrophils such as fetal shaped cell, c shaped cell, ring forms. 7 Singh S et al also stressed about the giant and macroplatelets, shift to left of neutrophils and band forms in a study. 13 Another study done by Kaur G et al reported large granular lymphocytes, plasmacytoid lymphocytes and various morphological forms of neutrophils among COVID -19 infected patients. 9