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TABITAR COM – Almost 4 months have passed, an effective antidote has not been found to cure patients with coronavirus desiase (Covid-19). The development of vaccines and drugs takes little time because they have to go through several phases of long clinical trials before they can finally be used.
The latest news says that Remdesivir produced by Gilead Science failed to test in China. This news was reported directly by the WHO. However, the producers found that the data obtained from the test was too small that it could not be used to draw conclusions.
In addition to the advantages and disadvantages of using drugs and developing vaccines that are time consuming. Actually, there are other alternatives that can be used against Covid-19. An alternative is to use the blood plasma of cured-19 patients to administer it to others who are still suffering.
The blood plasma of a recovering patient, Covid-19, is said to have a virus-fighting protein called an antibody. This protein is produced by a type of cells that make up the immune system called B lymphocytes. The presence of antibodies in the blood plasma serves to neutralize the virus.
Treatment efforts like this have been made in several countries. In China, an experiment conducted on 10 patients with Covid-19 showed promising results after receiving a cured blood plasma from the patient.
After being injected with blood plasma containing antibodies from people recovering from COVID-19, all ten patients showed disappearance of symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain within three days. Computed tomography results of the patient’s chest also showed improvement.
This experiment was carried out by 48 Chinese scientists affiliated with China National Biotec Group Company Limited and the National Center for Engineering Technology Research for Combined Vaccines, Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd.
The results of the experiment by Chinese scientists were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) titled “Effectiveness of Convalescent Plasma Therapy in Patients with Severe COVID-19” on March 18, 2020.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently recommended that recovered Covid-19 patients donate their blood plasma. This blood plasma is used for therapy called to treat Covid-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Convalescent plasma, hence the name of the therapy, is carried out by inserting a blood plasma filled with antibodies belonging to patients who have recovered in the body of patients with Covid-19.
The official FDA website says that this therapy can be performed as a Covid-19 cure option, given the fairly high success rate in China.
Quoted by TribunJabar.id, Professor David Muljono as Deputy Director of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology said that convalescent plasma is very possible, even in Indonesia.
“Plasma is taken from the blood of recovering patients, but there are criteria,” David said during a webinar conducted by The Conversation Indonesia titled “Measuring the Effectiveness of Government Interventions in Managing Covid-19,” Tuesday. (04/21/2020).
The criteria that former Covid-19 patients must have include the age of 18-55 years, a body weight of more than 50 kilograms, having no comorbidities and being able to donate blood.
“The patient’s RNA must have been positive, with an indication that the patient should have rapid (curative) progress and that the disease should not last more than three weeks,” he explained.
Convalescent plasma therapy is not the first time that it is performed for various types of diseases.
David explained, previously this therapy was carried out to treat SARS, MERS, hantavirus and avian influenza.
For the Covid-19 case, convalescent plasma was first practiced in China.
“Initially there were 5 people who received the therapy in China, then they added 10 more people. Then there are 2 more people in China. That means that in the world to date there are only 17 people receiving the therapy,” added David.
Based on limited data, the success rate of convalescent plasma is quite high.
Patients in China who received convalescent plasma experienced faster healing and reduced severity, especially in the respiratory tract.
So is this therapy really effective in curing Covid-19? David said it was too early to conclude like this. That is why the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has issued recommendation n. ° 7.
“IDSA recommendation No. 7 says that convalescent plasma is not the last treatment, and there is not much clinical experience yet. More studies are needed to prove its effectiveness,” he said.
Minister of Transport ready for blood plasma donor
Transport Minister (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi agreed to take blood plasma. This is one of the medical efforts to cure patients infected with the new Corona Virus or Covid-19.
“As for blood plasma, it has been ordered by the hospital and I want at any time (whenever) that they ask for blood because this blood is useful in the community,” Transport Minister Budi Karya said during a press conference. virtual in Jakarta, on Monday (04/27/2020).
Menhub was declared cured of Covid-19 after receiving treatment at the Central Army Hospital (RSPAD) from March 13 to 31, 2020 (BB-DIP)
