Consistent with previous studies, several cytokines (notably IL-6, IL-7, IL-1RA), chemokines (CXCL10, CXCL8, CXCL13), and growth factors (HGF, VEGF-A) were elevated in COVID-19 affected individuals (Fig. 1C and Supp. This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and COVID-19.