IL6 and viral infectious disease: One inferred upstream regulator of CoV response genes, IL-6, which was also among the genes upregulated with viral infection (CoV log2FC = 2.0, ORV log2FC = 3.0, Fig. 7e), is especially noteworthy considering that an IL-6 blocking antibody therapy is currently under investigation for use in the treatment of COVID-19 illnesses34.