TNFα-induced decrease in cell index was prevented by co-incubation with HDLs from healthy subjects whereas HDLs isolated from COVID-19 patients displayed a reduced protective effect (% of HDL protection relative to TNFα expressed as median [Q1;Q3]: 24.50 [18.03;32.34] versus 17.07 [14.98;27.97] respectively in controls and COVID-19 patients, p = 0.0234, supplementary Fig. 4A). This evidence concerns the gene TNF and COVID-19.