You will be shown a claim related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the abstract of a biomedical research paper. Each sentence from the abstract will be on a separate line. Your task is to return a JSON object with two fields:

- "verdict": The fact-checking verdict. If the information in the abstract supports the claim, write "SUPPORT". If the abstract contradicts the claim, write "CONTRADICT".
- "evidence": An array of sentences providing evidence for the verdict. Please copy all relevant sentences verbatim from the abstract.

For instance, if the model were given the claim "the COVID vaccine is safe for healthy adults", the output might be
{
  "verdict": "SUPPORT",
  "evidence": ["Our findings indicate that the risks of severe COVID vaccine side effects are low for healthy adults."]
}

Claim: A neutrophil activation signature predicts mild illness and mortality in covid-19

Abstract:
Pathologic immune hyperactivation is emerging as a key feature of critical illness in COVID-19, but the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood.
We carried out proteomic profiling of plasma from cross-sectional and longitudinal cohorts of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and analyzed clinical data from our health system database of over 3,300 patients.
Using a machine learning algorithm, we identified a prominent signature of neutrophil activation, including resistin, lipocalin-2, HGF, IL-8, and G-CSF, as the strongest predictors of critical illness.
Neutrophil activation was present on the first day of hospitalization in patients who would only later require transfer to the intensive care unit, thus preceding the onset of critical illness and predicting increased mortality.
In the health system database, early elevations in developing and mature neutrophil counts also predicted higher mortality rates.
Altogether, we define an essential role for neutrophil activation in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 and identify molecular neutrophil markers that distinguish patients at risk of future clinical decompensation.
{"verdict": "CONTRADICT", "evidence": ["Neutrophil activation was present on the first day of hospitalization in patients who would only later require transfer to the intensive care unit, thus preceding the onset of critical illness and predicting increased mortality."]}