Rio de Janeiro starts blood plasma testing to treat COVID-19

Rio de Janeiro’s State Institute of Hematology, Hemorio, this week is starting a series of studies on the use of the blood plasma of people cured from the new coronavirus for the treatment of severe cases of the disease. The procedure consists of collecting blood with antibodies from people who recovered from the illness.

After collected, the plasma is transferred to the body of patients infected with COVID-19 displaying a serious condition.

This type of therapy is the same as the one used in the Ebola and H1N1 epidemics. A similar study was carried out by Hemorio to treat dengue fever, with good lab results. The idea is to create another alternative to tackle the novel coronavirus.

Patients who have cured from the disease are being called and will be assessed as potential plasma donors.

Studies with the so-called convalescent plasma, Hemorio noted, have been conducted in France, Canada, Israel, Spain, and China.