Bengaluru: Convalescent Plasma Therapy in which antibodies from a patient who has just recovered from COVID-19 are given to patients who show symptoms in order to treat them and kill the virus seems to be the best way to treat the virus. Research is underway.
It’s been a long time since we have all been confined to our homes. The coronavirus has successfully managed to bring the world to a screeching halt.
As of now, there is no vaccine available for the disease. However, scientists and researchers have been working round the clock to somehow find a medicine so that the world can be back on track.
And while the world struggles itself to sustain the onslaught of the virus, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.
There is something called the Convalescent Plasma Therapy which has come as a ray of hope to treat COVID-19 patients.
What is Convalescent Plasma Therapy?
In simple terms, Convalescent Plasma Therapy can be thought of as a technique in which the components of blood of a person who has just recovered from COVID-19 are given to those who are sick or those at high risk of contracting the same virus. It is done thru blood transfusion.
What’s the use?
Well, the immune system of those who have just recovered from COVID-19 produces antibodies that fight the virus. These antibodies are found in the plasma or liquid part of the blood and are produced by immune cells known as B lymphocytes. It also helps the blood clot and increases immunity.
These antibodies stay in the plasma ingredient of the blood and are always ready to take on the virus if they reappear.
So when these antibodies are transfused to another individual who has COVID-19, he too can fight the disease with the help of the antibodies transfused into his body.
Recently, Indian Council for Medical Research gave its approval for a protocol submitted to it for the same by a task force of doctors and scientists by Kerala.
Meanwhile, experts are also counselling those recuperated patients if they are willing to donate their blood the same.
Reports, at this point, add that results from 10 severe adult cases showed that one dose of 200 ml was well tolerated to increase or maintain antibodies at a high level which could kill virus in seven days.
By the way, this treatment is not a new one. It has been used earlier as well. It was used during the SARS and MERS epidemics.
Presently, as the project has been taken up on an experimental basis, it would be taken up as a research project.
We should also add that there are some who have wondered if these antibodies are available in animals and if they can be given to human beings.
However, on the other side, we should also tell you that the treatment appears to be very costly, if researchers succeed in finding out its effectiveness.
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