Abstract: COVID-19 has swept across the world, causing widespread epidemics and millions of life lost worldwide. After infected with 2019-nCoV, the body quickly mobilizes the innate immune response and produces type Ⅰ interferon (IFN-Ⅰ). IFN-Ⅰ plays an important role in virus clearance in the early stage of disease. This article reviews the innate immune recognition after virus infection and the interaction between 2019-nCoV and IFN-Ⅰ, which would be conductive to understanding the pathogenesis and antiviral treatment of COVID-19.