Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19 Cuts Hospitalizations: Preprint

Unlike studies of antibody-rich transfusions in hospitalized patients, which overall have not found clear benefits, a new randomized trial finds that early convalescent plasma treatment cuts hospitalizations in half.

Shawna Williams

| 2 min read

a blood bag partially full of yellow liquid

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Update (March 31, 2022): This study was published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Just two weeks ago, citing the results of multiple trials, the World Health Organization recommended against the use of plasma from people who’ve recovered from COVID-19 as a treatment for the disease. Now, based on a new study in patients treated relatively early in the course of their disease, a research team has asked the agency to reconsider its recommendation. According to the new results, posted today (December 21) in medRxiv and not yet peer reviewed, treating patients with what one coauthor calls “high-octane plasma” within eight days of the onset of COVID-19 symptoms resulted in a 54 percent reduction in hospitalizations compared with a control group.

“We think this could be a useful tool in the toolbox for treating this very serious disease,” said coauthor Kelly Gebo, an infectious disease researcher at the ...

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate and science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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