COVID-19 treatment with blood plasma of recovered patients 'safe and beneficial': Study

While deadly coronavirus continues to spread across globe, a recent study suggested that treating COVID-19 patients with transfusion of blood plasma from those who already recovered is safe and beneficial. According to new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, research was conducted on over 20,000 hospitalised coronavirus patients. It was also based in a century-old idea in medicine that had been used against measles, influenza and Ebola. 

researchers at Mayo Clinic found that people who recover from deadly infection have ‘virus-fighting antibodies’ floating in ir blood and transfusion of ir plasma may give recipients’ immune systems assistance in fighting off virus. treatment, kwn as convalescent plasma, is still an experimental treatment, however, it has been reportedly deployed in early weeks of pandemic through a grass-roots effort by physicians. 

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According to an international media outlet, treatment has also drawn more than 2,000 medical institutions into a collaborative effort to work out logistics of collecting and deploying plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients. Michael Joyner, an anessiologist at Mayo Clinic who led study, reportedly said that actionable mess is that it is ‘safe, inexpensive’. Joyner also said that mortality rate in sick patients is also quite low. 

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Joyner calls it ‘chicken and egg’ situation 

Joyner, in published study, also ackwledged that re is still a ‘chicken and egg’ conundrum in trying to conclusively determine effectiveness of treatment. He ted that COVID-19 patients were given treatment through an expanded access program created by FDA. Furrmore, he also pointed out that recent data, however, show convalescent plasma treatment to be beneficial. 

According to study, among first 5,000 patients who received a plasma transfusion, death rate in week after treatment was 12 per cent. researchers also ted that first group of patients received transfusion at a time when plasma was often in short supply and was administered to patients late in ir illness. While re is comparative study, scientists believe that death rate may have dropped because of plasma treatment, which became widely available. 

(Im: AP) 

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