Generally, P-SEP values do not increase in patients with viral infections; however, SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect monocytes to reduce CD14+/CD16- classical monocytes and increase CD14+/CD16+ intermediate monocytes39, which have an increased phagocytic function40, resulting in the release of cytokines including P-SEP in the early stage of the disease. Here, CD14 is linked to viral infectious disease.