Laurence Dollimore
ANDALUCIA will begin treating COVID-19 patients with the plasma of recovered sufferers this week.
The clinical trial will last between four and five months and will include hospitals across the whole region, EFE reported.
According to the Junta, it is the first multi-centre trial to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment using hyperimmune plasma from the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients.
The trial will include hospitals in Sevilla (Virgen Macarena, Virgen del Rocio and Valme), Cadiz (Puerta del Mar, Jerez and Puerto Real), Granada (Virgen de las Nieves and San Cecilio), Almeria (Torrecardenas) and Malaga (Virgen de la Victoria, Regional and Costa del Sol).
The trial will involve 72 patients, who will all receive plasma from people who have overcome COVID-19 and who have developed an immune response and antibodies to fight the disease.
It’s a strategy previously used to treat other outbreaks, such as SARS-CoV in 2003 and the MERS in 2012.
Researchers will be focusing on patients in the early stages of COVID-19, rather than those in critical or intensive care who require ventilators to breathe.
It is thought the treatment will be much less effective for those in a critical condition.
