IFIT2 and infection: By investigating these differentially expressed genes also after Omicron BA.2 variant infection, we observed a significantly lower expression of the protein-coding genes CXCL10, IFIT2, and ZC3HAV1. In contrast, expression changes for the majority of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) were similar between Delta and Omicron variants with the exception of miR-155-5p and 5′-tRFGlu(TTC), emphasizing their potential as biomarkers for disease severity.