CXCL8 and infection: In this scenario, the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection damages the lungs, the cytokine milieu unfolds as described above, recruiting cells to the site of damage where the cells can either (a) help control the infection and induce a wound healing environment and the individual recovers normally; or (b) the infection causes abundant cellular infiltration leading to a high concentration of immune cells in a relatively small physical space, ultimately causing more tissue damage, which is not efficiently repaired in the absence of IL-8.