Colin Hamilton-Davies

Hyperimmune plasma can treat Covid. Britain has the expertise. Let’s use it

The UK and indeed the world, are currently in the grips of a global pandemic due to the Coronavirus.

Whilst much attention and money have been spent on the development of a coronavirus vaccine, the WHO confirms this will likely take months – and, of course, offers nothing to patients who contract and suffer with the virus now. Trials of several antiviral drugs, steroids and various treatments seem, so far, to have offered only marginal benefits. But there is a potential treatment that is, to date, being overlooked and deserves more attention: using plasma from the blood of patients who have successfully recovered from the coronavirus infection. It’s a field in which the UK has plenty of medical expertise; however, this specialist knowledge – at present – is not being utilised.

When fighting coronavirus infection, one’s immune system is needed to develop antibodies to overcome the virus.

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