Canada joins a group that includes several countries hit severely hard by the disease – but who also have a large number of recovered patients who would have antibodies for the virus in their system.
Blood plasma treatment in this case works somewhat like a vaccine: the antibodies present in the recovered persons plasma – the clear liquid present when blood is broken down into it's basic parts – would fight the disease and give the affected person more time to create antibodies on their own.
“The reason we're interested in that is because when you've recovered from an illness, your immune system has developed a set of antibody molecules that are now present that weren't there before,” explained Dr. Dana Devine in a video interview. “In the context of COVID-19, it's possible to treat patients who have active COVID-19 with the antibodies from the plasma of the person who recovered, which would then attack the virus in the person who is still ill.”
CBS isn't currently recruiting patients for the trial, but will be contacting those who have recovered from COVID-19 once the trial begins.
There is no information how this will affect Moose Jaw and Saskatchewan at this time, but as cases occur in the province and city, those who recover could potentially become candidates.
Plasma will be collected in the safest way possible, frozen and shipped to testing sites across Canada.
The decisions about who will be treated will be made by physicians, and the patients who receive it will be determined by doctors after COVID-19 convalescent plasma has been received.
As mentioned, Canada isn't the only country currently part of these studies, as many others that have been fighting the virus earlier like China, South Korea and Singapore, and they've actively been collecting convalescent plasma for this same purpose.
How it is administered and to whom has yet to be determined.
“Because we don't know how it affects this virus, two approaches that are being used are as a prophylactic for health care workers who have been exposed but are not yet sick,” Devine said. “Another approach is for those in early stage disease as opposed to those who are very severely ill, since convalescent plasma has so many antibodies in it that it can make the disease worse.”
Given the size and scope of the trial, it's expected to take many months to complete, meaning results likely won't be seen until mid-summer.
For more information or to book an appointment to donate blood, check out blood.ca, download the GiveBlood app or contact the CBS at 1-888-236-6283.
