FDA Authorizes Use of Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19 Patient Treatment

A turning point in the fight against COVID-19—President Trump says the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for convalescent plasma.

This will be used as a therapeutic treatment for COVID-19 patients that are in the hospital.

Convalescent means anyone recovering from a disease.

Plasma will be drawn from people who have had COVID-19 and be used to help people currently battling the virus. Although, the FDA wants to be clear this is not a cure.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn says, “Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood. That liquid portion contains the natural immunity that someone develops in response to an infection. In this case, COVID-19.”

So far, more than a 100,000 people have signed up for it and more than 70,000 people have received the treatment.