Blood plasma is not beneficial for COVID-19 patients: WHO

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned against using the blood plasma of COVID-19 patients to cure the other patients. WHO claimed that existing research suggests it neither increases survival rate nor decreases the demand for ventilators.

The concept behind utilising plasma was that the antibodies in it might heal the patient by preventing the virus from reproducing and causing tissue harm.

Several investigations using convalescent blood plasma had found a negligible effect in managing COVID-19 individuals who were critically unwell. A trial in the United States was discontinued in March after it was shown that plasma was unlikely to benefit mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients.

According to the statement issued by WHO, the procedure is also expensive and time-consuming to administer.