Information about the uselessness of plasma transfusion from COVID-19 patients in the treatment of patients with the virus is erroneous, this method is one of the most effective. Mikhail Shchelkanov, director of the Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after G.P. Somov, Rospotrebnadzor, told RBC.
A day earlier, an international team of researchers published an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, in which they pointed out the uselessness of blood plasma transfusions from patients with coronavirus infection in the treatment of sick patients with COVID-19, including those in critical condition.
“I think that this is absolutely not the case. The fact is that the treatment with serum of people who have been ill, who have antibodies for all viral infections, is quite an effective method, and in some cases it is even very effective. I think that the problem is simply the inability to correctly use this method in specific cases, ”Shchelkanov said.
According to him, today there are many types of clinical course and each type of clinical course requires its own algorithm for the implementation of any therapeutic approach, “including serotherapy (treatment of infections with serums – RBC ).” “And this understanding, apparently, has not yet been formed, and until it is formed, any method will be ineffective,” he explained.
The expert believes that the plasma transfusion method is most effective in the initial stages of treatment, and in a critical condition “it would be wrong to rely only on this method.” “But nevertheless, according to the experience of other viral infections, it is at the initial stage that the so-called passive immunization, when antibodies are already delivered in the plasma serum, is the most effective,” he concluded.
Professor of the Department of Hospital Therapy, Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. NI Pirogov, Alexander Karabinenko, in turn, told RBC that the process of transfusing donor plasma to patients looks very controversial. “It is believed that there are antibodies in this plasma, and they can promote recovery, but clinical experience shows that this may or may not help. And in most cases it really doesn’t help. Apparently, what the scientists were counting on is not working yet, ”he said.
According to him, today in the world there are no single installations for the management of patients with COVID-19 infection, nor methods of their treatment. “The 13th revision of clinical guidelines is already being prepared in the Ministry of Health, but there are no established methods of treatment. They were released in September, but I think these recommendations are still imperfect, ”he added.
Treatment of patients with coronavirus with blood plasma with antibodies in Russia began in April 2020. The fact that this method is effective for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 was said by both the official authorities and specialists. Treatment of patients infected with coronavirus with this method later began in the United States.
Earlier, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin signed a decree according to which 696.3 million rubles will be allocated for the procurement and processing of plasma for the treatment of patients with coronavirus. Of these, 510.8 million will go to the procurement, processing and storage of donated blood. 97.3 million rubles. will spend on plasma processing and production of the drug “Covid-globulin”, which the Ministry of Health registered in April this year. Another 88.2 million rubles. will spend on payments to blood donors with antibodies to coronavirus.
Over the previous day, 25,133 new cases of COVID-19 infection were detected in Russia, another 929 people died – this is a new record for daily mortality in Russia. The previous record was recorded on October 5 – then 895 deaths from coronavirus were announced.
