Epidemiology and survival of lung cancer patients, the impact of COVID-19. (clinical and population-based study)

Aim. The study is aimed at investigating the incidence of lung cancer (LC) at the population level with the analysis of key analytical indicators in the context of coronavirus. Materials and methods. We have used data from the IARC, statistical reference books of P.A. Herzen Moscow Research Oncological Institute, data from N.N. Petrov NMRC of Oncol¬ogy, and the database of the Population Cancer Registry of St. Petersburg (DB PCR St. Petersburg) for the current study. Results. The study has established a steady decline in the incidence of LC among the male population in the worldwide, in Russia and in St. Petersburg. Among the female population, a significant increase in the incidence has been revealed. On the basis of the database PCR St. Petersburg, the patterns of age-sex indicators of the incidence of LC have been analyzed. It has been established that the largest number of cases is registered in the age group of patients over 70 years old, here the largest losses due to coronavirus have also been identified. An increase in the proportion of early stages of the disease has been noted. The accounting reliability index decreased from 2000 to 2019, with the exception of 2017. Comparison of yearly lethality in the DB PCR St. Petersburg showed a signifi¬cant difference in the data. The detailed localization structure of LC has been studied, where it has been found out that the first place is occupied by cancer of the upper lobe, bronchi or lung, although over 19 years of observation, a decrease in the proportion of this localization in the total volume of C34 has been noted. The proportion of patients with LC without histological verification has decreased. The influence of the smoking factor on the increased risk of LC has been studied.

Impact of extended interval dosing of immune checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background The COVID 19-pandemic has led physicians to change their approach to treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to reduce hospital stays for patients. Objectives We aimed to assess the toxicity and efficacy of extended interval (EI) dosing of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) compared to standard dosing (SD). Methods In this retrospective two-center study, we included patients with stage III/IV NSCLC who were treated with ICIs with or without maintenance pemetrexed during the month before March 2020. Adverse events and efficacy were collected until June 2021. Toxicity and survival were assessed using multivariate Cox models. Results Among the 134 patients identified (8 stage III and 126 stage IV;66 first line and 60 second or subsequent lines), 70.9% received EI dosing. In the EI group, 12.6% of patients developed grade 3 or 4 immune-related adverse events versus 15.4% in the SD group (P- value = 0.8). Treatment was definitively discontinued due to toxicity in 9 patients in the EI group and in 5 in the SD group (P-value =0.5). Overall survival was not associated with dosage regimen or toxicity analyzed as a time-dependent variable. Conclusions Our study suggests that EI dosing of ICIs did not affect toxicity and overall survival in lung cancer patients.

Short-course remdesivir for healthcare-associated COVID-19: Case series from a non-acute care hospital

Healthcare-associated COVID-19 among vulnerable patients leads to disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Early pharmacologic intervention may reduce negative sequelae and improve survival in such settings. This study aimed to describe outcome of patients with healthcare-associated COVID-19 who received early short-course remdesivir therapy. We reviewed the characteristics and outcome of hospitalized patients who developed COVID-19 during an outbreak that involved two wards at a non-acute care hospital in Japan and received short-course remdesivir. Forty-nine patients were diagnosed with COVID-19, 34 on a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation ward and 15 on a combined palliative care and internal medicine ward. Forty-seven were symptomatic and 46 of them received remdesivir. The median age was 75, and the median Charlson comorbidity index was 6 among those who received it. Forty-one patients had received one or two doses of mRNA vaccines, while none had received a third dose. Most patients received 3 days of remdesivir. Of the patients followed up to 14 and 28 days from onset, 41/44 (95.3%) and 35/41(85.4%) were alive, respectively. Six deaths occurred by 28 days in the palliative care/internal medicine ward and two of them were possibly related to COVID-19. Among those who survived, the performance status was unchanged between the time of onset and at 28 days. © 2022 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases

The role of web browsing in credit risk prediction

Online mail order and online retail purchases have increased rapidly in recent years worldwide, with Covid-19 forcing almost all non-grocery shopping to move online. These practices have facilitated the availability of new data sources, such as web behavioural variables providing scope for innovation in credit risk analysis and decision practices. This paper examines new web browsing variables and incorporates them into survival analysis as predictors of probability of default (PD). Using a large sample of purchase and repayment credit accounts from a major digital retailer and financial services provider, we show that these new variables enhance the predictive accuracy of probability of default (PD) models at account level. This also holds in the absence of credit bureau data, therefore, the new information can help people who may not have a credit history (thin file) who cannot be assessed using traditional variables. Moreover, we leverage on the dynamic nature of these new web variables and explore their predictive value in short and long- term horizons. By adding macroeconomic variables, the possibility for stress-testing is provided. Our empirical findings provide insights into web browsing behaviour, highlight how the inclusion of non-standard variables can improve credit risk scoring models and lending decisions and may provide a solution to the thin files problem. Our results also suggest a direct value added to the online retail credit industry as firms should leverage the increasing trend of consumers embracing the digital environment. © 2022 The Authors

Early Short-Term Use of Different Doses of Corticosteroid in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia

Objective Encouraged by reports of favorable outcomes following the use of corticosteroids in patients with moderate-to-severe coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, we aimed to present our experience with early short-term corticosteroid use at our center in pediatric patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods One hundred and twenty-nine pediatric patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into four groups according to the type and dose of corticosteroids given: Group 1 (those receiving dexamethasone 0.15 mg/kg/d);Group 2 (those receiving methylprednisolone 1 mg/kg/d);Group 3 (those receiving methylprednisolone 2 mg/kg/d);and Group 4 (those receiving pulse methylprednisolone 10-30 mg/kg/d). Results Of 129 patients, 19 (14.7%) patients were assigned to Group 1, 30 (23.3%) patients to Group 2, 30 (23.3%) patients to Group 3, and 50 (38.8%) patients to Group 4. Thirty-two (24.8%) patients were followed in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), of whom 13 (10%) required mechanical ventilation, and 7 (%5.4) died. In Group 4, the hospitalization length was significantly longer than in other groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). No significant difference was found among the groups in terms of mortality (p = 0.15). The most common comorbidity was obesity (33%). A significant association was found between the presence of comorbidity and mortality (p < 0.001). All patients who died had an underlying disease. Cerebral palsy was the most common underlying disease among the patients who died. Worsening of lymphopenia was significant in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia at the time of transfer to the PICU (p = 0.011). Conclusion Although children usually have a milder course of COVID-19 than adults, underlying diseases and obesity increase the severity of disease manifestations also in children. Further studies are needed to define the exact role of corticosteroids in COVID-19 patients. © 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Prediction of Covid-19 symptoms with chest x-ray to optimize the solution through the MCOA Algorithm for feature extraction and measurement

Due to poor understanding and inconsistent knowledge about covid-19 symptoms, the survival rate will decrease anywhere in the world. Every person who lives in the world should aware of COVID-19 symptoms to protect their life and hence increase the mortality rate of humans. The Indian government took precautions to lower the fatality rate, which includes hand sanitizer, wearing NS2 masks and keeping social distance to live a long life. The proposed method uses the MCOA-modified cat optimization algorithm to extract the image features and predict them in earlier stages and diagnosis. Furthermore, the proposed method clusters the chest image concerning size, shape and intensity concerning the irregular edges present in the chest imaging. The proposed MCAO algorithm cluster the chest image with an accuracy of about 95% and fit into the solution space with the state of art. The problem of the concave region present in the image is clustered in the solution space to delineate the parameters of pneumonia, fever, mucus fluid and respiration rate. The method gives the solution to the radiologist to detect earlier covid 19 symptoms for feature extraction and measurement

Surgical oncology during the post-COVID-19 era: What is next?

During first outburst of COVID-19, several strategies had been applied for surgical oncology patients to minimize COVID-19 transmission. COVID-19 infection seemed to compromise survival and major complication rates of surgical oncology patients. However, survival, tumor progression and recurrence rates of surgical oncology patients were associated to the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on their management. In addition, the severity of COVID-19 infections has been downgraded. Therefore, management of surgical oncology patients should be reconsidered. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Mental health risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Polish population

Introduction: The level of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) associated with the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms was assessed. Risk factors for mental health in the Polish population have been identified. Material and methods: Nine hundred and twenty-six respondents completed a set of questionnaires consisting of questions concerning COVID-19, PTSS related to the COVID-19 outbreak (Impact of Event Scale-Revised, IES-R), and their mental health status (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, DASS-21). Results: Most respondents reported severe PTSS related to the COVID-19 outbreak (44.06%), the normal intensity of depressive symptoms (52.38%), anxiety symptoms (56.05%), and stress (56.48%). Almost 20% of Polish respondents were characterized by a severe or extremely severe level of stress, anxiety, or depressive symptoms. Every seventh respondent reported an extremely severe level of depressive symptoms. Female gender, parental status, having a relationship, at least a two-person household were associated with higher PTSS or DASS-21 subscales. A few physical symptoms, a medical visit, quarantine, negative health evaluation, chronic diseases, knowledge about the increase in the number of infected people or deaths were associated with higher levels of PTSS. Some of the precautions and the need for additional information on COVID-19, the certainty of a high COVID-19 contracting probability or of a low survival rate, and concerns about the loved ones were associated with higher PTSS. Conclusions: The indicated risk factors can be used for developing psychological interventions to improve mental health. It is necessary to conduct qualitative research on the psychological reasons for the occurrence of mental symptoms during the pandemic.

Exploring innovation in challenging contexts: The experiences of ethnic minority restaurant owners during COVID-19

This article explores how Bangladeshi immigrants who run and own restaurants in the West Midlands of England (UK) participated in forms of innovation in response to the challenges created by COVID-19. Contributing to debates on innovation and diversification in the ethnic minority entrepreneurship literature, we explore through qualitative interview data how restaurant owners innovatively engaged with particular resources to secure their survival and longer-term futures in localised economies. This form of innovation is significant as it occurs among a population of entrepreneurs who have traditionally been portrayed as reluctant to innovate and embrace change. Our study therefore explores how a long-held culturally rooted reluctance to innovate intersects with a contemporary need to innovate for a demographic responding to the crisis. We theorise the form of innovation we identify as situated between a forced bricolage and a neoclassical approach to innovation. © The Author(s) 2021.

Hybrid Approach to Predict the Death Rate of COVID-19 Patients

From closedown of December 2019, coronavirus has directly exhibited a lofty rate of transmission, coercing the World Health Organization to contend in the month of March 2020 that this unbeknownst coronavirus can be depicted as a pandemic. COVID-19 epidemic has guided to an operatic misplacement of deathly life over the public and presents an unbeknownst complaint to public fitness. It also affects the food systems of the person and the world of work. Once the person is infected by COVID, the metabolic exertion of vulnerable cells in his or her body is enhanced, similar as the one driven by COVID-19. The country's dietary habits are analyzed to predict the particular person's death rate. By using KNN algorithm, the performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score are evaluated for the country's dietary habits. In this research, both clustering and classification are combined to increase the accuracy of the prediction of death rate of the person. K-means is used for the clustering of the countries, and KNN is used for classifying the countries. The 170 countries are clustered based on the country's dietary habits, and other disease affected rate using K-means clustering algorithm. Countries are clustered into high and normal death rate countries based on the country's dietary habits and another cluster into high and normal death rate based on the other disease affected rate rather than COVID-19. Using the country's dietary habits and other disease affected clusters, the death rate of the person is predicted. After clustering the data based on the country's dietary habits and other disease affected rate, the KNN algorithm is used to classify and identify the person's death rate. Using clustering and classification algorithms in a combined way, an accuracy of 79% is achieved. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention of colorectal cancer

Background: Colorectal cancer remains the fourth most common malignancy in Korea, and has been ranked as the third leading cause of cancer deaths in 2020. This study aims to describe the epidemiologic status of colorectal cancer in Korea, and provide basic data for effective primary and secondary prevention methods by summarizing risk factors and screening tools. Current Concepts: Although colorectal cancer incidence and mortality have decreased in recent years in Korea, it still poses a significant public health burden. From the early 1990s until the mid-2000s, the 5-year relative survival of patients with colorectal cancer in Korea continuously increased. This can be attributed to the successful introduction of the government-led screening program;development of improved surgical techniques, anticancer drugs, and adjuvant treatment;and advances medical resources and infrastructure along with economic growth. However, since the late 2000s, the improvement in survival has stagnated. The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has reduced hospital visits and screenings, which is assumed to cause delays in diagnosis, leading to a worse prognosis in the patients. To overcome these obstacles, it is essential to explore modifiable environmental risk factors and appropriate screening test methods in Korea. Discussion and Conclusion: Primary prevention through risk factor modification and secondary prevention using suitable screening programs can reduce the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer.

The reliability and integrity of overall survival data based on follow-up records only and potential solutions to the challenges

Overall survival (OS) is considered the standard clinical endpoint to support effectiveness claims in new drug applications globally, particularly for lethal conditions such as cancer. However, the source and reliability of OS in the setting of clinical trials have seldom been doubted and discussed. This study first raised the common issue that data integrity and reliability are doubtful when we collect OS information or other time-to-event endpoints based solely on simple follow-up records by investigators without supporting material, especially since the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic. Then, two rounds of discussions with 30 Chinese experts were held and 12 potential source scenarios of three methods for obtaining the time of death of participants, including death certificate, death record and follow-up record, were sorted out and analysed. With a comprehensive assessment of the 12 scenarios by legitimacy, data reliability, data acquisition efficiency, difficulty of data acquisition, and coverage of participants, both short-term and long-term recommended sources, overall strategies and detailed measures for improving the integrity and reliability of death date are presented. In the short term, we suggest integrated sources such as public security systems made available to drug inspection centres appropriately as soon as possible to strengthen supervision. Death certificates provided by participants' family members and detailed standard follow-up records are recommended to investigators as the two channels of mutual compensation, and the acquisition of supporting materials is encouraged as long as it is not prohibited legally. Moreover, we expect that the sharing of electronic medical records and the legal disclosure of death records in established health registries can be realized with the joint efforts of the whole industry in the long-term. The above proposed solutions are mainly based on the context of China and can also provide reference for other countries in the world. © 2022 The Authors

Using Machine Learning to Predict Business Survival in COVID-19

The global recession due to the pandemic has knocked the business landscape and brought the world to its knees. There were a number of renowned companies that made the headlines for being the top industry hard hits. Nonetheless, there were businesses that survived this pandemic and navigated the COVID complexities so effectively that it tipped the scales in their favor. We attempt to study the factors that helped these businesses masterfully work their way through the conundrums of coronavirus pandemic. We first build a dataset that entailed information pertinent to businesses and relevant COVID-related information that was sourced from Yelp and other platforms. We used a variety of classifiers to make predictions about the survival of these businesses followed by that after assessing their performance through varied methods. The model efficiency was classified based on several rating techniques to evaluate both underperforming and profitable businesses. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

SARS COV-2 Infection in Children with Leukemia

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) directed great attention and anxiety all over the world. Epidemiologic models predict that the current COVID-19 pandemic will last several months or even several years, until the development of a vaccine and/or herd immunity. Although the course of the infection is often not severe in children, it can be life threatening especially in immunocompromised children with leukemia. Hematopoietic and lymphoid cancers are accounting for approximately 40% of all childhood cancers. The five-year survival rate for childhood cancer has approached to 70% and more than 80% for leukemia in our country. During COVID pandemic, children with leukemia may also have COVID-19 infection, especially when their bone marrow is depressed due to chemotherapy. It is observed that factors such as the underlying type of cancer, status of remission, or having stem cell transplantation may affect the prognosis. As well as standard and proven treatments for febrile neutropenia, all tests and treatments should be applied very quickly and properly for COVID 19 as is all suspected patients. These efforts may contribute to increase the survival of our children with cancer. Given the absence of data to address concerns related to SARS-CoV-2 infection while on chemotherapy, questions are increasing about the approach for management of systemic immunosuppressive therapies, i.e. ceasing or reducing the immunosuppressive medications in children with leukemia. The current rapid worldwide spread of COVID-19 necessitates identifying optimal preventive strategies and effective medical management. In this report, we tried to review appropriate literature-based approaches for prevention, diagnosis and management of treatment protocols for children with cancer during the pandemic period.

Impact of COVID-19 on food outlets: symmetric or asymmetric? A case study of Amritsar

Purpose: The present study is an intra-industry analysis, which aims to investigate whether the impact of COVID-19 on employment level, clientele rate, liquidity constraints and sustainability aspect of different food outlets is symmetric or asymmetric in nature. Design/methodology/approach: With the help of well-structured questionnaire, the study has surveyed 80 food outlets in total by interviewing the managers and owners of these outlets. Food outlets have been classified into four categories namely international, national, local and street food outlets. Econometric techniques like MANOVA and Garret ranking have been employed to fulfil the objective of the study. Findings: The results depict that the impact of COVID-19 on employment level and liquidity constraints is significantly asymmetric amongst different groups of food outlets, even though the decline in extent of clientele is somewhat same for all groups. The survival aspect of outlets also witnesses clear-cut asymmetry in results as big outlets have greater potential to survive for longer if lockdown happens again when compared to street food outlets as their financial availability and stability differ. Research limitations/implications: The sample size of study is restricted, mainly due to lesser number of national franchise's food outlets available in Amritsar, though other categories of eateries were sufficient in number. Further, the study is restricted only to one district of Punjab state, whereas for future research, inter-district comparison can be done. Practical implications: The findings reveal that the street food outlets may gain by fostering its online functioning. Similarly national food outlets are encouraged to alter their business strategies to revive their sales against their competitors. Originality/value: This study is one of the explorer studies to analyse the impact of COVID-19 by making an intra-industry comparison for the eatery industry – considering four different categories of eateries. The classification of eateries helps in analysing whether the employment level, clientele rate, liquidity constraints and survival perspective have been affected symmetrically for the whole eateries industry or does severity of being affected differ asymmetrically. The study makes a contribution by adding a new string of dimension to the existing load of literature in the domain of hospitality. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Efficacy of medical face masks on birch-induced asthma in ALYATEC EEC

Rationale: To control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the use of face masks has become widespread worldwide. There is no clinical evidence that medical masks are efficient in pollen-induced asthma. We studied the efficacy of medical face masks in reducing asthma in patients allergic to birch in ALYATEC Environmental Exposure Chamber (EEC). Methods: 24 GINA 1 birch-related asthma patients were exposed to 60 ng/m3 of airborne Bet v 1 in ALYATEC EEC. All patients had positive skin prick tests and specific IgE to birch at screening. Baseline exposures lasted 1 hour to assess asthma responses (20% drop in Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1), then randomized into 2 groups: with and without a KOLMI® face masks (OP-Air), for a 6-hour birch allergen exposure. Results: At baseline, asthma occurred within 30 minutes. In the group without masks, the median time for drop in FEV1 was 37 minutes, and 67 min in the group with mask (p=0.219). There was a threshold difference of time for onset of asthma between the 2 groups. At 1 hour-exposure, patients with masks still present in the EEC was twice as much as the group without masks. Asthma questionnaire score was highly correlated with the drop in FEV1 at 30 min exposure. The Kaplan Meyer graph showed that survival probability in EEC was higher for the group with masks than without masks. Conclusions: This pilot study showed a tendency of face masks to increase the time to develop asthma. Some patients reported mask effectiveness during pollen season.

The burden of viral infections in pediatric intensive care unit between endemic and pandemic coronavirus infections: A tertiary care center experience

Objectives: To measure the prevalence of viral infections, length of stay (LOS), and outcome in children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) during the period preceding the COVID-19 pandemic in a MERS-CoV endemic country. Methods: A retrospective chart review of children 0–14 years old admitted to PICU with a viral infection. Results: Of 1736 patients, 164 patients (9.45%) had a positive viral infection. The annual prevalence trended downward over a three-year period, from 11.7% to 7.3%. The median PICU LOS was 11.6 days. Viral infections were responsible for 1904.4 (21.94%) PICU patient-days. Mechanical ventilation was used in 91.5% of patients, including noninvasive and invasive modes. Comorbidities were significantly associated with intubation (P-value = 0.025). Patients infected with multiple viruses had median pediatric index of mortality 2 (PIM 2) scores of 4, as compared to 1 for patients with single virus infections (p < 0.001), and a median PICU LOS of 12 days, compared to 4 in the single-virus group (p < 0.001). Overall, mortality associated with viral infections in PICU was 7 (4.3%). Patients with viral infections having multiple organ failure were significantly more likely to die in the PICU (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Viral infections are responsible for one-fifth of PICU patient-days, with a high demand for mechanical ventilation. Patients with multiple viral infections had longer LOS, and higher PIM 2 scores. The downward trend in the yearly rate of PICU admissions for viral infections between the end of the MERS-CoV outbreak and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic may suggest viral interference that warrants further investigations. © 2022 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases

Real-time transcription polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold values as criteria for utilization of incidental COVID-19 positive lung donors.

Shortage of organ donors is an ongoing limiting factor in lung transplantation (LT). Despite increasing prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, positive COVID-19 testing from a potential donor remains a contraindication at many LT centers. In this report, we present the outcomes of LT utilizing an algorithm based on donor clinical presentation, and COVID-19 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with cycle threshold (Ct) values evaluation. The Ct value threshold for organ acceptance was >35. A total of 8 COVID-positive donors were included. No donor-to-recipient transmissions of COVID-19 were observed. Short-term outcomes were comparable to those reported in pre-COVID literature. Survival-to-date is 100% with median POD of 161 days. Our findings support the safety and efficacy of utilizing our algorithm including Ct value threshold for selection of donors with incidental COVID-19 positive testing.

Telemedicine and cancer care in India: promises, opportunities and caveats.

Telemedicine has revolutionized areas of medical practice and care. It has a potential in field of continuum of cancer care in India. SARS-CoV-2 has highlighted the potential use of this tool effectively. Scope of newer applications of telemedicine in field of cancer is reviewed in current paper enlisting benefits to patient, healthcare providers and centers in a developing country like India. Each of them is supported by appropriate evidence and examples. An analysis of strengths and opportunities when compared with weakness and threats brings out how telemedicine can redistribute oncology work force in a rational way and minimize disruption caused by the pandemic. Telemedicine can be utilized in cancer management starting from prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation to palliative care.

Specialists working for decades in the field of oncology are the best persons to endorse telemedicine, as they can leverage its use to its full potential. The present article is a rigorous review of past literature on telemedicine as well as proposed uses of technologies based on experiences of the authors. It will strengthen promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare delivery.

Circulating Interleukin-8 Dynamics Parallels Disease Course and Is Linked to Clinical Outcomes in Severe COVID-19.

Severe COVID-19 frequently features a systemic deluge of cytokines. Circulating cytokines that can stratify risks are useful for more effective triage and management. Here, we ran a machine-learning algorithm on a dataset of 36 plasma cytokines in a cohort of severe COVID-19 to identify cytokine/s useful for describing the dynamic clinical state in multiple regression analysis. We performed RNA-sequencing of circulating blood cells collected at different time-points. From a Bayesian Information Criterion analysis, a combination of interleukin-8 (IL-8), Eotaxin, and Interferon-γ (IFNγ) was found to be significantly linked to blood oxygenation over seven days. Individually testing the cytokines in receiver operator characteristics analyses identified IL-8 as a strong stratifier for clinical outcomes. Circulating IL-8 dynamics paralleled disease course. We also revealed key transitions in immune transcriptome in patients stratified for circulating IL-8 at three time-points. The study identifies plasma IL-8 as a key pathogenic cytokine linking systemic hyper-inflammation to the clinical outcomes in COVID-19.