As global race towards a cure goes on, health and research centers in Saudi Arabia have kicked off a promising study to test therapeutic options to treat COVID-19 by using plasma from recovered patients.
After taking blood components from eligible volunteers, the medical study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of plasma in treating advanced cases of coronavirus. With a major role in healing from serious health problems, plasma has antibodies that help the human body to recover.
Dr. Hani Al-Hashmi, director of the Oncology Center at King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Dammam, told Arab News that the goal of this research is to find a therapeutic solution to the disease based on solid medical evidence.
Upon approval from both the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA), the Saudi study team started extracting plasma from recovered patients two weeks ago. Once completed, we look forward to know about the results. More than 20 centers have joined forces to work on the medical project with 21 experts in hematology, immunology, infectious diseases, intensive care and blood transfusion.
Protocol for recovered patients which are willing to take part in the study includes a thorough check-up before the start of the blood transfusion process. According to Al-Hashmi, the team starts extracting plasma from recovered patients after the second “negative” sample result, only after the recovered patient completed 14 days in home quarantine.
If you're a recovered patient in the Kingdom or know someone that is, you can register as a volunteer to this urgent study at www.plasmaforcovid.com.
