While TCR sequences have been a central target of antigen-specific T cell research, the role of the TCRα/β genes in bystander activation has received little attention, as bystander activation has been primarily attributed to cytokine signaling leading to the formation of activated T cell phenotypes.5,57,75–77 While we find, surprisingly, that TCR sequences are the primary factor that explains the phenotype of bystander-activated cells in COVID-19 patients, we also confirm that inflammatory cytokines such as IL-18 have a positive association with bystander-induced effector phenotype. This evidence concerns the gene IL18 and COVID-19.