We found that plasma exosomes from COVID-19 patients significantly induced the production of the same set of cytokines and chemokines that contribute to the severity of COVID-1949–53, including IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IFNγ, CCL1, and GDF-15, in PBMCs compared with those from non-COVID donors. This evidence concerns the gene GDF15 and COVID-19.