Many hospitals have been treating severe COVID19 patients with blood plasma of recovering patients due to the absence of an effective and approved treatment. Doctors believe that blood plasma extracted from recovering patients carry antibodies, which fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although plasma has not shown any advantage during the randomized trials, however, some small studies claim that it might help reduce the severity of the disease. A new study has found that the levels of antibodies reduce quickly in the blood of COVID19 patients during recovery. Experts have said that the levels of antibodies keep decreasing as the body of the patient starts clearing the virus and its symptoms. A new study has been done by experts from the American Society for Microbiology.
Experts have said that if the convalescent plasma is effective in the treatment of COVID19 disease it should be taken within a precise window of time after recovery. Nevertheless, recovering patients are not allowed to donate blood until at least 14 days after their symptoms have been reduced. Doctors need to give this much time to the patient’s body to clear out the viral infection. Dr. Andres Finzi, a professor at the University of Montreal, Canada has said that the ability of plasma to eliminate the viral particles is slowing down during the first weeks after recovery. Some of the past studies have found that the antibodies, which fight against the virus, start acting in full force, 2 or 3 weeks after the onset of the symptoms. A previous study, which has been done by Dr. Finzi and his team, has shown that the capacity of plasma to fight the infection has reduced between 3 to 6 weeks after symptoms have started showing. Around 100 patients have been included in this study.
In a new longitudinal study, experts have taken blood samples of 31 people who have been recovering from COVID19 infection. These blood samples have been taken at a one-month interval. They have observed levels of immunoglobulin, which fight against the virus’s spike protein. Experts have examined the ability of the antibodies to eliminate the virus. They have seen a variation in the levels of antibodies among the patients. There has been a consistent signal in the levels of antibodies. As per the study, the levels of immunoglobulin G, A, M has rapidly reduced between six and ten weeks after symptoms have started showing. During the same time, the capacity of the antibodies to kill the virus has also gone down.
