Coronavirus: China attempts to treat patients with the blood of cured patients

Chinese health authorities on Monday asked those recovered from the coronavirus to donate blood to extract the plasma to treat the sick who are still in serious condition. Pharmaceutical companies are engaged in a race against the clock to develop a treatment and a vaccine against this disease which has already infected more than 70,500 people and has killed at least 1,770 in China.

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The plasma of former patients who had been infected with the virus causing the COVID-19 epidemic contains antibodies which could reduce the viral load in severely ill patients, said in an interview National Health Commission. “ I would like to ask those who have recovered to donate their plasma. By doing so, they would give hope to the still seriously ill, ”said Guo Yanhong. Eleven hospital patients in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, received plasma transfusions last week, said Sun Yanrong, of the Biological Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology. " One of them has already returned home, another has been able to get up and walk and the others are on the mend, " she added.

" Only the plasma will be taken "

This call comes the day after the announcement by a state laboratory of positive results during clinical trials carried out in a hospital in Wuhan. The China National Biotec Group assured in a post on the WeChat network that patients who had received plasma transfusions had seen their condition " improve within 24 hours ". " Clinical trials have shown that plasma transfusions (from cured patients) are safe and effective, " added Sun. Donors will be tested to make sure they cannot transmit the virus, said Wang Guiqiang, department head at Peking University First Hospital. " Only the plasma will be taken, " he added. " The other components of the blood, including red blood cells and platelets, will be returned to the donors ."

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In Geneva, Director of Emergency Programs at the World Health Organization (WHO), Michael Ryan, explained that the use of plasma from former patients " has been shown to be effective " for certain diseases, stressing however that this practice is not always successful. " We will have to examine how it is used, which patients are most likely to benefit from its use, (and) at what time of the disease this practice brings a benefit ", he noted, at a press conference in Geneva. By his side, Dr Sylvie Briand, director of the Global Preparedness for Infectious Risks department at WHO, called for caution because " with blood products you can transmit other diseases ", stressing the importance of following protocols .