By following this time-course analysis of pro-inflammatory markers between survivors and non-survivors, we could propose an initial COVID-19 specific criteria to diagnose the development of COVID-19 hyper-inflammatory response as following: patients with IL-6 > = 40 pg/ml, and/or two of the following: C-reactive protein > = 100 mg/L, D-dimer > = 1000 ng/ml, ferritin > = 500 ng/ml and lactate dehydrogenase > = 300 U/L (Fig 2a, marked with a red line). Here, IL6 is linked to COVID-19.