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While there is currently no specific drug treatment for COVID-19, there are currently a number of investigational drugs and therapies under review, ranging from Hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir to Viagra (see A Pilot Study of Sildenafil in COVID-19).
Another possible treatment is to use convalescent plasma, collected from recovered COVID-19 patients, which - in theory - should convey some degree of immunity to those battling the virus.It's not a new idea; human and animal serum therapy was used extensively during the first half of the 20th century to treat a variety of infectious diseases, including anthrax, scarlet fever, measles, tularemia, diphtheria, rabies and pandemic influenza.
The idea behind it is pretty simple. Blood is collected from those who been infected, and have recovered, and through a process called plasmapheresis, the blood cells are removed from the blood plasma. This is done by passing the blood through a special filter, or by using a centrifuge. The remaining blood plasma will contain antibodies that could then be injected into severely ill patients.
Convalescent plasma could, theoretically, be used as either a treatment for someone already infected, or as a temporary prophylactic, to prevent infection.
Of course, the donor must be checked for a variety of blood borne diseases (i.e. hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Syphilis, and HIV), and then the plasma is usually heated to inactivate other possible pathogens.
Despite the mixed results over the years, we won't know if we don't try, and so the American Red Cross is asking recovered COVID-19 patients to consider donating blood so that convalescent plasma can be made, and used to treat infected patients.
A relatively high percentage of adverse reactions (serum sickness) and the development of more effective antibiotics and drugs have made this option less attractive in recent decades. But with a rising number of emerging infectious diseases; like MERS, Avian Flu, and Ebola - many with few, if any therapeutic options - convalescent serum has been getting a second look.
And along the way we've seen some promising results (see 2011's CID Journal: Convalescent Plasma Therapy For Severe H1N1 , 2015's Int J Infect Dis: Convalescent Plasma Treatment Of An H7N9 Patient In China), and some early media reports on Convalescent Plasma treatment of COVID-19 in China.
But we've also seen some failures, such as last year's Lancet: Clinical Trial On Use of Convalescent Plasma To Treat Severe Influenza, which disappointedly found that `High-titre anti-influenza plasma conferred no significant benefit over non-immune plasma' and 2016's NEJM: Evaluation of Convalescent Plasma for Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea, which reported no statistically significant improvement in survival over the control group.
Despite the mixed results over the years, we won't know if we don't try, and so the American Red Cross is asking recovered COVID-19 patients to consider donating blood so that convalescent plasma can be made, and used to treat infected patients.
If you are interested in donating, follow link below and fill out the form.
Plasma Donations from Recovered COVID-19 Patients
The Red Cross is seeking people who are fully recovered from COVID-19 and may be able to donate plasma to help current patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections, or those judged by a healthcare provider to be at high risk of progression to severe or life-threatening disease.
People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that can attack the virus. This convalescent plasma is being evaluated as treatment for patients seriously ill with COVID-19. Historically, convalescent plasma has been used as a potentially lifesaving treatment when new diseases or infections develop quickly, and no treatments or vaccines were available yet. The Red Cross has been asked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help identify prospective donors and manage the distribution of these products to hospitals treating patients in need. If you’re fully recovered from a verified coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnosis, please review the information below and fill out the Potential Donor form. A Red Cross representative will follow up with prospective candidates to confirm eligibility.
See frequently asked questions related to the Convalescent Plasma Program »
Note: If you currently have or suspect that you have COVID-19 and have questions about your health, please contact your healthcare professional.
If you are:
A Potential Donor who has had COVID-19 and are fully recovered
Thank you for your willingness to donate plasma to treat patients seriously ill with COVID-19. This plasma is also called convalescent plasma. Plasma from people who have recovered contains antibodies that attack the virus and is being evaluated as a treatment for coronavirus patients. Please provide the following information that will help us determine your eligibility.
To donate convalescent plasma, please do NOT use the regular appointment scheduling tool on the website or mobile app. You must complete the form below and be contacted by Red Cross for special scheduling.(Continue . . . )
