The differential mediation effect profiles for DEspR + [NET + Ns] compared with ANC, despite similarly strong correlations with multi-organ failure outcomes, highlight the emerging role of NET + Ns as a central mechanism for neutrophil-mediated secondary tissue injury and/or immuno-thrombosis in multi-organ failure in COVID-19 [7, 34–36], and the importance of neutrophil subset specific analysis as ANC represents the total mixture of neutrophil-subsets. This evidence concerns the gene FBXW7-AS1 and COVID-19.