CRP and COVID-19: CRP, a nonspecific but reliable marker of inflammation, was elevated by an average of nearly 20 mg/L in co-infected patients (87.4 vs. 68.9 mg/L, p < 0.001), while IL-6, a critical cytokine in COVID-19 pathophysiology, was also notably higher (62.1 vs. 48.7 pg/mL, p < 0.001).