IFIT1 and COVID-19: In parallel, this same study showed that CD4+ T cells from patients with severe COVID-19 showed decreased expression of interferon-induced genes including IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, and IFITM1 and those downstream from interferon signaling (40), again striking similar to the molecular signature seen in the M protein-reactive CD4+ TCLs in this present study.