DNA Damage and Oxidative Stress in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

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.