Studies conducted on individuals recovering from COVID-19, 3–5 and 8 months post-infection, have shown sustained high levels of IL-6 and two further anti-viral cytokines (IFN-β and IFN-λ1), which were associated with persistent symptoms of long COVID (Lord et al., 2024; Phetsouphanh et al., 2022). This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and COVID-19.