The use of specific inflammatory mediators in the circulation to characterize COVID-19 was evaluated since the onset of the pandemic, with elevated levels of cytokines (such as IL-6), chemokines, and interferons being reported in cases of severe COVID-19175,176 and high systemic levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF at the time of hospitalization showing use as biomarkers of disease severity and mortality130. This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and COVID-19.