Increased IL-6 is an early indicator of cytokine release syndrome, or the “cytokine storm.” A meta-analysis by Coomes et al. (2020) assessing current evidence in the field found that mean IL-6 concentrations were 2.9-fold higher in patients with complicated COVID-19 compared to patients with noncomplicated COVID-19, and elevated IL-6 was associated with adverse clinical outcomes [32]. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and COVID-19.