However, there is evidence that the high viral load in the lungs of COVID-19 patients is associated with an acute inflammatory response comprising epithelial cells and activated macrophages, which are largely responsible for the secretion of the cytokines, such as TNF, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and CXCL10 (Freeman and Swartz, 2020). The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is COVID-19.