In a systematic review and meta-analysis of COVID-19 studies, the estimated pooled mean for IL-6 concentrations in patients with severe and critical COVID-19 was 36.7 pg/ml (95% CI 21.6–62.3 pg/ml), far lower than those reported for IL-6 and other cytokines in patients with unrelated COVID-19 ARDS, sepsis, and CAR T cell-induced cytokine released syndrome (32). Here, IL6 is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.