BACKGROUND: Serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) play critical roles in inflammation and are used in clinical laboratories as indicators of inflammation-related diseases. We aimed to provide potential laboratory basis for auxiliary distinguishing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by monitoring above indicators. METHODS: A total of 84 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. Baseline characteristics and laboratory results were collected and analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to combined detection of SAA and IL-6 in patients with COVID-19, and independent risk factors for severity of COVID-19 were assessed by using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: The main clinical symptoms of patients with COVID-19 were fever (98.8%), fatigue (61.9%), and dry cough (58.3%). SAA, IL-6, and NLR were significantly higher in patients with COVID-19 (all P < .001), and compared with nonsevere patients, three indicators of severe patients were significantly elevated. Besides, combined detection of SAA and IL-6 better separates healthy people from patients with COVID-19 than detection of SAA or IL-6 alone. In addition, elevated SAA, IL-6, and NLR can be used as independent variables for predicting the severity of patients with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Serum amyloid A and IL-6 could be used as addition parameters to helping the distinguish of patients with COVID-19 from healthy people, and can provide potential basis for separating patients with nonsevere and severe clinical signs.