Could the blood from Coronavirus survivors help others fight the virus?
| Mar 25, 2020, 13:53 IST
It's no secret that the world is in a state of panic due to the much-dreaded coronavirus outbreak. As of now, there are no signs of any vaccinations being developed and the fatality of the disease has been increasing by the day. However, researchers claim that there may be a way to fight the virus. And that requires the blood of those who were cured of the coronavirus.
A team of researchers said that people who have recovered from the coronavirus should ideally donate their blood so that the blood plasma from it can be used to devise a temporary solution to ending the virus and helping others fight it. They also said that this method of treatment has been used since ages and has also proved successful many times.
How, you ask? Well, the basic principle of it is to help your immune system get stronger so that it can at least temporarily fight against the virus. So, when the antibodies from covid-19 survivors are injected into other people, it might help them develop temporary resistance until a cure is finally found. This could possibly help others stay safe from the virus and not get infected so easily.
"We can isolate the antibodies in a matter of days and show if they are effective within days or weeks, but producing them in large amounts is harder. We need the pharmaceutical industry for that. It would take months to get enough antibodies to treat large numbers of people. The antibodies wouldn't be available to help with what's going on right now"
They also added that not everyone can benefit from the vaccine even when it arrives. People with other diseases like HIV and those with weak immune systems like the elderly might not be eligible for the vaccine. An FDA spokesman said, "Until more effective drug treatments are ready, this might be our best option. We're working around the clock on this, dozens of us across the country, many of us working from our homes and through the weekends, because we don't have time to spare."
A team of researchers said that people who have recovered from the coronavirus should ideally donate their blood so that the blood plasma from it can be used to devise a temporary solution to ending the virus and helping others fight it. They also said that this method of treatment has been used since ages and has also proved successful many times.
How, you ask? Well, the basic principle of it is to help your immune system get stronger so that it can at least temporarily fight against the virus. So, when the antibodies from covid-19 survivors are injected into other people, it might help them develop temporary resistance until a cure is finally found. This could possibly help others stay safe from the virus and not get infected so easily.
"We can isolate the antibodies in a matter of days and show if they are effective within days or weeks, but producing them in large amounts is harder. We need the pharmaceutical industry for that. It would take months to get enough antibodies to treat large numbers of people. The antibodies wouldn't be available to help with what's going on right now"
They also added that not everyone can benefit from the vaccine even when it arrives. People with other diseases like HIV and those with weak immune systems like the elderly might not be eligible for the vaccine. An FDA spokesman said, "Until more effective drug treatments are ready, this might be our best option. We're working around the clock on this, dozens of us across the country, many of us working from our homes and through the weekends, because we don't have time to spare."