CXCL8 and acute respiratory distress syndrome: In patients with COVID-19, disease severity and high mortality are associated with respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure due to an uncontrolled cytokine storm, with significantly increased levels of several inflammatory mediators, including IL-6, interferon gamma (INF-γ), Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 17 (IL-17), and IL-8 [3].