SARS-CoV-2 continues to sweep the globe causing COVID-19, and treatments for its aftermath are desperately needed. Patients with inflammatory respiratory diseases, like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), may be particularly vulnerable. Some studies have suggested that these patients have increased risk of severe disease if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2 and may sustain serious damage to their respiratory system after infection. But stem cells may hold the key to restoring lung function after such injuries. Stem cell therapies can help heal injured tissues through two main mechanisms. One, by changing, or differentiating, into needed cell types. And two, by influencing the resident cells’ behavior through released signals. Stem cells can be applied in their naïve form, or after being differentiated in the lab prior to treatment. Such stem cell therapies have shown promise as regenerative therapy in other clinical applications in recent decades. including similar types of lung injuries. However, there have been few trials of stem cell treatments for patients with COVID-19 and more research will be needed to determine if and how stem cell therapies could help chronic lung disease patients recover after COVID-19.