Can plasma from a recovered patient be used to help cure one who is suffering from the virus?
Carilion infectious disease physician Dr. Ekta Bansal is leading the healthcare organization’s efforts with a national study to assess the use of convalescent plasma to treat the COVID-19 virus. In short, the study will examine blood plasma from people who have recovered as a potential treatment for those who are sick.
Bansal, a native of India, was one of the professional women immigrants featured by the Roanoker in a story in our March/April issue.
The study includes 1,500 health care organizations nationwide. Plasma, the liquid portion of the anti-body created when the body fights infection, can be given to the patients ill with COVID-19, says Bansal, and there is a chance it can help fight the infection.
Carilion’s interim Chief of Infectious Disease Dr. Dorothy Garner says the demand for the anti-body has risen dramatically recently and “the supply is limited because so many have asked for it. Local donors make the plasma more readily available locally.”
According to a Carilion press release, “Plasma infusion takes antibodies from recovered patients and introduces them to those currently receiving treatment, helping fight infection for the sickest of the sick. This type of therapy has proven effective in the treatment of other viral infections, and researchers are investigating its application to the treatment of COVID-19.”The trial is sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration and Mayo Clinic. Plasma donations from those who have recovered from COVID‑19 can be made through the American Red Cross. A donation form from the Red Cross can be found here.
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
