Kox M, Waalders, NJB, et al. - Cytokine levels in critically ill patients with COVID-19 vs those with other critical illnesses were compared. Researchers assessed plasma concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL-6, and IL-8 in 46 patients with COVID-19 with ARDS, 51 with septic shock with ARDS, 15 with septic shock without ARDS, 30 with OHCA, and 62 with multiple traumas. Per findings, levels of circulating cytokine in critically ill patients with COVID-19 with ARDS were lower to those in patients with bacterial sepsis, whereas the levels were similar to those in other critically ill patients. Findings are thereby supportive of lower leukocyte counts identified in patients with COVID-19, and are probably due to lower overall disease severity, despite the presence of severe pulmonary injury. This preliminary analysis thus suggests that cytokine storm may not characterize COVID-19.