Plasma is largely useless; barely helps COVID patients [Read Lancet study]

As the second wave of coronavirus is wreaking havoc in various countries like India, medical experts all across the world are trying to figure out the most effective treatment strategy that can be adopted to increase the survival rate of critically ill Covid patients. And now, the randomized evaluation of Covid-19 therapy (RECOVERY) has suggested that the use of plasma therapy on hospitalized Covid patients does not improve the survival rate. 

Plasma therapy ineffective in treating coronavirus infection

Medical experts who took part in the study made this conclusion after assessing several possible treatments in patients hospitalized with Covid in the United Kingdom. The trial is currently underway in 177 hospitals across the UK. 

"In RECOVERY, the largest clinical trial of convalescent plasma for any infectious indication, we did not find evidence that high-titer convalescent plasma improved survival or other prespecified clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Whether convalescent plasma would benefit other patient groups is unknown and would need to be evaluated in other, adequately powered, randomized clinical trials," said the researchers in the study report. 

Earlier, India's ICMR-PLACID Trial had also suggested that plasma therapy is not effective in treating people with critical Covid-related complications. However, AIIMS-ICMR National Covid Task Force allowed 'off-label' use of plasma therapy at the stage of early moderate disease, which means within seven days of the onset of symptoms. 

Sources in Govt suggest that Plasma Therapy could be dropped from clinical management protocol as ICMR's expert panel found that the therapy wasn't beneficial in reducing the progression in Covid patients. 

The social distancing dilemma

As the Covid pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, medical experts are urging people to maintain strict social distancing measures to protect themselves from the viral infection. In the initial days of the virus outbreak, experts have asked people to maintain a social distancing of six feet.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revealed that coronavirus is capable of spreading more than six feet through the air in certain instances. 

"These transmission events have involved the presence of an infectious person exhaling virus indoors for an extended time (more than 15 minutes and in some cases hours) leading to virus concentrations in the air space sufficient to transmit infections to people more than 6 feet away, and in some cases to people who have passed through that space soon after the infectious person left," wrote CDC on its website.