The zinc ion binding GO term [GO:0008270] was enriched in SARS-CoV-2 proteins, but it was also connected to an increased expression of genes involved in the formaldehyde bacterial stress response in COVID-19 deceased individuals (e.g., S-(hydroxymethyl)glutathione dehydrogenase, Glutathione-independent formaldehyde dehydrogenase). This evidence concerns the gene ADH5 and COVID-19.