This observation is reinforced by the upregulation of a module of correlated proteins in the post-COVID-19 BAL, whose individual members reflect epithelial damage (EPCAM, KRT19), cell death (CASP3), and epithelial repair (TGFA) but also suggest a connection between these processes and immune cell recruitment and survival (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, IL-7). This evidence concerns the gene CASP3 and COVID-19.