The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic challenging health systems worldwide.

While there is a clear correlation between oxidative stress markers and the severity of many viral diseases such as hepatitis C, for SARS-CoV clinical data is limited.

The investigators aim at 1.) investigating DNA damage, oxidative stress, inflammation, and aging markers in COVID-19 patients and compare them with age and gender matched healthy controls and patients with influenza; and 2.) investigating all aforementioned parameters during "cytokine storm" via repeated blood sampling.

Covid 19 group:

Inclusion Criteria:

• gender: female/male
• age: ≥40 years
• patients admitted at the emergency department
• COVID-19 suspected patients
• able to give written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• children (≤ 18 years) and adults 19-39 years
• not hospitalized, but confirmed COVID-19 patients (outpatients)
• patients without definitive COVID-19 confirmation

Control group:

Inclusion criteria:

• gender: female/male
• age: ≥40 years
• absence of severe illnesses/serious diseases
• able to give written informed consent

Exclusion criteria:

• children (≤ 18 years) and adults 19-39years

• any current or past clinically significant pathology/disease (comorbidity) such as:

  • Malignancies
  • Cardiovascular diseases
  • Diabetes mellitus (I and II)
  • Obesity class III (BMI >40)
  • Other severe diseases (e.g. renal, hepatic, thyroid disease, bone metabolic diseases, rheumatoid osteoarthritis, human immunodeficiency syndrome, …)

Influenza group:

Inclusion criteria:

• gender: female/male
• age: ≥40 years
• patients admitted at the emergency department
• influenza suspected patients
• able to give written informed consent

Exclusion criteria:

• children (≤ 18 years) and adults 19-39 years
• patients without definitive influenza confirmation

Covid 19 patients:

Cases after hospital admission.

Influenza:

Cases after confirmed influenza diagnosis

Healthy controls:

Healthy subjects from the general population