CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY

Subject: Science & tech

Context: Plasma therapy not found effective, likely to be dropped from clinical management guidelines.

Concept:

The convalescent plasma therapy seeks to make use of the antibodies developed in the recovered patient against the coronavirus.
The whole blood or plasma from such people is taken, and the plasma is then injected in critically ill patients so that the antibodies are transferred and boost their fight against the virus.
A study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases stated that a Covid patient usually develops primary immunity against the virus in 10-14 days.
Therefore, if the plasma is injected at an early stage, it can possibly help fight the virus and prevent severe illness.
The plasma can be infused into two kinds of Covid-19 patients, those with a severe illness or individuals at a higher risk of getting the virus.
However, while plasma transfers immunity from one person to another, it is not known if it can save lives in Covid-19 infection.
The treatment could be effective for patients in the age group 40-60, but may be less effective for people aged beyond 60 years.

Previous Application:

The United States used plasma of recovered patients to treat patients of Spanish flu (1918-1920).
Hong Kong used it to treat SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) patients in 2005.
In 2009, the Swine flu (H1N1) patients were treated with plasma.
It has also been used to treat critically ill patients during Ebola as well.