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The COVID-19 pandemic has been truly global and multidimensional in scope, with ramifications extending well beyond health. Yet, unlike previous crises, there is hope that timely release of relevant data sets, as well as advents in AI (artificial intelligence) technology, could lead to compressed timescales in finding a vaccine or cure. Despite the huge existing body of academic literature on the coronavirus family, searching through such a corpus, including new research that has emerged in the wake of the crisis, is a daunting task even for experts. Simple keyword search over such corpora is insufficient for experts who want answers to questions that require linking together multiple pieces of information across documents. In this article, we review an innovative AI technology called a knowledge graph (KG) that could be used to fulfill such complex information needs. We detail the potential for KGs to play an important role in the fight against COVID-19. We also cover challenges and ongoing collaborative implementations of COVID-19 KGs in industry and academia.