Plasma from newly recovered COVID-19 patients can be used to treat others infected by it.

China has officially started plasma transfusion for treating coronavirus infected patients and other countries have not started yet.

China’s National Health Commission says that the use of plasma transfusions from recovered patients is safe and effective in treating critically ill patients infected with the novel coronavirus. An update made on 13 March 2020 quotes the Red Cross Society of China which said that more than 1,000 recovered patients had donated plasma to save patients suffering from the disease.

Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda said in a press release that plasma derived-therapies have been effective in the treatment of severe acute viral respiratory infections and may be a treatment option for COVID-19. It added that research had been initiated for the development of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 hyperimmune serum.

A clinical trial report by the U.S. National Libray of Medicine says that as of now, there is no effective antiviral drugs and vaccines available against the virus SARS-CoV-2 and that it is an observational study. The investigators collected the clinical information and clinical outcomes of the COVID-19 patients using anti-2019-nCoV inactivated convalescent plasma. The report also added that the purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anti-2019-nCoV inactivated convalescent plasma in the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia.

As of now, China has started using convalescent plasma from recovered patients to treat infected patients, and in other countries, research and development are being conducted.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.