BUCHAREST, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Romania on Tuesday started a blood plasma collection campaign from recovered COVID-19 patients for the treatment of severe cases, and first three cured patients donated their plasma at the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Centre.
Plasma donated by people recovered from COVID-19 will only be administered to critically-ill adult patients, who have a rapid progression of severe pneumonia/pulmonary infiltrates despite treatment and are mechanically ventilated for less than 10 days or on the threshold of intubation and mechanical ventilation, according to the Health Ministry.
The treatment, called convalescent plasma, is based on the fact that plasma from cured people contains antibodies that may help reduce the viral load in patients that are fighting the disease.
According to the ministry, cured patients will be contacted in accordance with national and European Union rules, or they may contact blood transfusion centers for plasma donation.
Currently, there are three devices for the plasma treatment of coronavirus patients in Romania: one each in the capital city of Bucharest, Timisoara in the west and Iasi in the northeast.
Plasma treatment has been used in China, and now the United States and several European countries, in clinical trials.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 11,616 in Romania as of Tuesday, with 650 fatalities, an increase of 277 and 19 respectively from the previous day. Enditem
