A new treatment for Covid-19 which the blood plasma Of those who have survived the virus is reported to have improved the condition of 10 patients, with Greek researchers currently conducting further trials.
The technique itself involves collecting the plasma of recovered patients and administering it to those who have a severe form of the disease. Three doses, comprising 200-233 milliliters of fluid, are then given over the span of two days, with just a single donor able to help multiple patients.
University of Athens Medical School professors Evangelos Terpos, Marianna Politou and Vasiliki Pappa explain how the plasma of 261 volunteers were checked for antibodies.
Volunteers were either asymptomatic, had developed mild symptoms and recovered at home, or had been hospitalized. A PCR test was conducted in which 82 healthy donors were eligible to donate plasma, based on techniques used at Greece’s Pasteur Institute.
The study is expected to last for 20 months in order to determine the success of the new treatment, based on the survival rate of 100 Covid-19 patients after three weeks.
Changes in levels of antibodies will also be examined in recovered donors over a period of three, six and 12 months to determine how long they remain present after infection.
On April 28, 2020, the polycentric phase 2 trials started, in which recovered or asymptomatic Covid-19 patients were administered the plasma after suffering from severe forms of the disease. Another 22 researchers from across six hospitals in Greece are now also involved in that effort.
The trial, which has been approved by Greece’s National Public Health Organization, is a step forward in developing A solid treatment for Covid-19 and helping patients recover.
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