Plasma from recovered patients could help in coronavirus fight

Plasma from recovered patients could help in coronavirus fight

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Health leaders are fighting to find a cure for covid-19.

Plasma centers are saying there's something in the blood of covid-19 survivors that could serve as a treatment.

News 10's richard solomon has more on what some are calling a breakthrough for beating covid-19.

It's new for you at six.

Doctors are using the plasma from people who've recovered from the coronavirus as a therapeutic agent.

Some i spoke with say this could help many hoosiers in the longrun.

After recovering from the coronavirus..

Sarah dilley is now donating her plasma.

You may be wondering why?

It turns out the antibodies in her plasma may be extremely valuable.

"physicians have used plasma of patients who've recovered in order to use those antibodies from the recovered patient to help the patient whose actively sick."

Now..

This isn't a cure but it can serve as a treatment.

Right now dilley's plasma is being tested.

If it clears...it can be tranfused to someone who has the coronavirus.

Dilley says this could even potentially be a breakthrough in beating this virus.

"i think it's absolutly worth trying.

If we don't all work together by doing things like coming up with cures and also taking care of patients in the hospital then it's just going to continue to kill more and more people" i also spoke with dr. dan waxman with the versiti blood bank of indiana.

"we have some very small studies that show patients are having improvement" dr. waxman says physicians can collect up to 800 ml of plasma.

He believes physicians will be able to treat patients in indiana hospitals.

"as we're truly able to build a supply of this that i imagine physicians will treat patients at various stages of their illness so they can try to prevent them from having to go on a ventilator."

Dilley says she donated enough plasma to help 2 people.

She says that could be two lives saved.

"we need to buy time for things like a vaccine to get developed in the meantime we have to do everything that we can" dr. waxman says they plan to start plasma donations here at the terre haute center soon.

Donors can donate plasma every 7 days.

Back to you.

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