S. Korea to set guidelines on plasma treatment of virus patients

SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will set guidelines for the treatment of coronavirus patients with plasma from those who have recovered from COVID-19, a senior health official said Tuesday, after two patients here were declared cured upon receiving the therapy.

The therapy involves infusions of blood plasma from coronavirus survivors to virus patients, though there is controversy over whether it will be successful and effective for all virus patients.

There is no vaccine yet for the novel coronavirus, and some experts have said convalescent plasma is worth a try.

South Korea administered plasma therapy on nine MERS patients in 2015, and some of them were cured.

Blood plasma filled with antibodies gotten after an illness has proven effective in curing infectious diseases.

Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters that plasma therapy guidelines will be announced within days.

The two recovered patients are over 65 years old, with one of them suffering underlying illnesses, Kwon said.

Kwon remained cautious about the effectiveness of plasma therapy, saying health authorities will apply the guidelines to hospitals after gathering opinions from experts.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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