Chinese health officials are calling on recovered COVID-19 patients to donate plasma, harnessing antibodies to aid severely ill individuals in their fight against the virus.
COVID-19 continues to challenge public health systems worldwide. China's latest official report at the time cited 72,000 confirmed cases and 1,886 deaths. Alongside stringent containment measures, innovative recovery strategies are gaining traction.
Chinese National Health Commission officials urged recovered patients to donate blood plasma on Monday to treat those in critical condition. Plasma, the liquid part of blood that carries cells, nutrients, and hormones, holds particular promise here.
As Guo Yanhong, an official with the Commission, explained, plasma from survivors contains high levels of antibodies that can reduce viral loads in severely ill patients.
Antibodies are specialized proteins produced by the immune system to neutralize invaders like viruses and bacteria. The approach effectively transfers immunity from recovered donors to active cases.
In Wuhan, the outbreak's epicenter, 11 hospitalized patients received plasma transfusions and showed marked improvement. "One has been discharged, and another can now walk," reported Sun Yanrong of the Ministry of Science and Technology's Biological Center.
Prior clinical trials in a Wuhan hospital demonstrated that recipients' conditions "improved within 24 hours" and the treatment was "safe."
While promising, experts urge measured application. Michael Ryan, WHO's director of emergency programs, noted that convalescent plasma "has proven effective for some diseases, but not always."
He emphasized the need to study optimal use: "which patients benefit most, and at what disease stage?" during a Geneva press briefing.
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