Convalescent plasma: A potential therapeutic option for COVID-19 patients

• Published in: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine
• Main Authors: Swee Li Ng, Tsuey Ning Soon, Wei Hsum Yap, Kai Bin Liew, Ya Chee Lim, Long Chiau Ming, Yin-Quan Tang, Bey Hing Goh
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020
• Subjects: coronavirus; convalescent plasma; covid- 19; sars-cov-2; neutralizing antibody; immunomodulation; convalescent plasma transfusion; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4103/1995-7645.291408; https://doaj.org/article/d4dd77a14b8c45739e003e91b3e4e0eb

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has challenged us to take unprecedented steps to bring this pandemic under control. In view of the urgency of this situation, convalescent plasma which was used in previous coronavirus outbreaks has emerged as one of the treatment options in this current pandemic. This is mainly due to the fact that convalescent plasma has been studied in a few case series with promising outcomes. In addition, on-going large clinical trials aimed to further evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and optimal dosage, duration and timing of administration of convalescent plasma are indeed revealing a certain level of promising results. Therefore, this article aims to provide an overview of possible mechanisms of actions of convalescent plasma, its benefits and its level of usage safeness by summarizing the existing evidence on the use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients.