A combination of NEWS2 with 8 further routinely collected blood and clinical measures (supplemental oxygen flow rate, urea, age, oxygen saturation, C-reactive protein, estimated glomerular filtration rate, neutrophil count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio) improved its discrimination power for severe COVID-19 outcomes, but model calibration remained poor3, necessitating the development of COVID-19 specific patient stratification and prognostication tools. The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is COVID-19.