A study by the Bloomberg School of Public Health found that severe COVID-19 patients can produce strong antibodies for vaccine testing – especially the older male population
According to the researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, sex, age, and severity of disease are possibly most useful identifiers of which COVID-19 survivors are likely to create substantial quantities of antibodies that can defend against the disease. This is the first scientific guidance on who to choose, for health professionals who are attempting to use plasma to help patients.
Their data suggests that older males who successfully recovered from COVID-19 after hospitalisation offer the best antibodies – making them the best plasma donors. Plasma contains antibodies, and is currently being floated as a tentative support system for some COVID-19 sufferers who appear unable to generate their own antibodies.
What is convalescent plasma? Can it cure COVID-19?
The most crucial answer is no, convalescent plasma is not a miracle vaccine that will cure COVID-19 across the world. Plasma is the light yellow substance that makes up roughly 55% of your blood. It is mostly water, but it carries the antibodies that your body makes in response to any virus. The antibodies remain in your plasma for an unknown but crucial amount of time. Vaccine testing is heavily reliant on how the survivors have survived, working backward from that desired outcome. Convalescent plasma is the attempt to transfer those biologically-equipped fighters from a successful war to a struggling battlefield, via blood transfusion.
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