Coronavirus: Chinese researchers claim they may found a possible cure but there are challenges

• Chinese scientists are treating COVID 19 patients using antibodies found in the blood of recovered patients.
  
• For this, China National Biotec Group, a biotech giant and a blood bank, has urged patients who were treated to donate blood plasma.
  

Chinese scientists are treating COVID 19 patients using antibodies found in the blood of recovered patients. For this, China National Biotec Group, a biotech giant and a blood bank, has urged patients who recovered - to donate blood plasma.



According to CNBC, the plasma was earlier used to treat critically ill people in Wuhan and so far the results have been positive. They conducted a series of tests to discover antibody activities that could kill the virus.

The biotech giant found that people who recovered were producing antibodies that could fight the virus. Those patients who were given blood plasma showed signs improvement in 12-24 hours.

“At present, given the lack of vaccines and specific therapeutic drugs, the use of this plasma with specific immunoglobulin is the most effective way to treat the new coronavirus infection and reduce the mortality rate of critically ill patients,” Lu Hongzhou from the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre told SCMP.

However, China has very few recovered patients and a large number of infected ones. As of Friday, China had 63,851 confirmed coronavirus cases and 6,723 were in recovery as of Thursday.

“We don’t know for sure how long the antibody level will remain high in a recovered patient. The treatment depends on how many recovered patients donate their blood, which means this treatment can be available to a very limited number of patients,” a virologist told SCMP.

Scientists are still experimenting with how plasma treatment approach will work on Covid 19 patients. Previously, the convalescent plasma method was used to treat many infectious diseases. However, the approach did not prove to be effective in the case of SARS.

(With inputs from agencies)

See also: Fighting Wuhan Coronavirus: Pictures show how China built a 1000-bed hospital in 10 days