MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. Some 20,000 people in Moscow have undergone treatment with donor plasma containing antibodies to the coronavirus infection, and this method has been proven to be effective, the press service of Moscow’s healthcare department told TASS, commenting on the WHO’s statement recommending not to use transfusions of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients.

"The donor plasma with antibodies to COVID-19 is being used to treat patients in the capital’s hospitals. This method has demonstrated its effectiveness and was included by Russia’s Health Ministry in clinical recommendations as one of the elements of comprehensive therapy. The transfusion of plasma with coronavirus antibodies is administered to patients with a moderate form of the disease. With the plasma’s timely prescription, the possibility of a patient’s condition worsening and being switched to an artificial lung ventilator drops by half while the possibility of averting a lethal outcome goes up by 19%," the press service explained.

It noted that administering plasma therapy to COVID-19 patients makes it possible to block the spread of the virus in the body 1.5 times faster.

"Over a year and a half, 20,000 people have undergone treatment with donor plasma. Some 30,000 people became donors, including 20% who gave plasma repeatedly. Some 75 donors contributed plasma 10 times and more. Overall, the city prepared over 23 tonnes of plasma to treat COVID-19," the press service said.

Studies confirm that for transfusions to coronavirus patients, it is possible to use convalescent plasma as well as the plasma of those who were inoculated with the Sputnik V jab or received booster shots, including with the single-component Sputnik Light.

The use of anti-COVID plasma is not effective in critical cases, those on artificial lung ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMOs), or patients with multiorgan failure. The minimal effective titer of virus-neutralizing antibodies should amount to 1:160, the press service said.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended against using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients. According to the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, earlier this method was considered to have been promising, however, it claims current evidence shows that it does not improve survival or reduce the need for artificial lung ventilation.

Research publications

As the press service of Moscow’s healthcare department explained, to date, over 1,300 articles found in the international database of medical publications have been dedicated to anti-COVID plasma research. Many of them attest to the method’s effectiveness. It is important to select a component with an appropriate titer and take into account the specifics of a particular patient. The inconsistency of the results of the effectiveness of convalescent plasma may be explained by different approaches to prescribing this therapy and the evaluation of plasma’s immunological properties, differences in the processes and different categories of patients.