Experts interviewed by Izvestia say Russia should set up a center for collecting donor blood plasma from patients who have recovered from a coronavirus infection.
Such a center has recently been opened in the United States, where the number of infected people is much greater than in Russia. The plasma transfusion technique for ill patients was approved at an accelerated pace by the FDA (the Food and Drug Administration).
“This is very necessary, the method of plasma transfusion meets expectations, and the risk of its use is equal to the possible benefits,” says Pavel Volchkov, director of the laboratory of genomic engineering department at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. However, in order to properly collect the material, at least five different tests are needed, he added.
The head of the infectious diseases department at H-Clinic at the RUDN University, Danila Konnov, agrees with the need to set up such a center.
“Since there is still no effective remedy for COVID-19, any treatment that has shown its effectiveness should be investigated and, possibly, used on severe patients,” he insisted.
The development of the epidemiological situation will show whether this method will be needed urgently or not, the scientist noted. But organizing a massive plasma sampling and its preparation under the current lockdown conditions will not be easy. Another difficulty is that in Russia there are fewer people with confirmed coronavirus cases and recoveries, he added.
