Convalescent plasma: possible therapy for novel coronavirus disease 2019.

ABBREVIATIONS COVID-19 coronavirus disease 2019 MERS Middle East respiratory syndrome SARS severe acute respiratory syndrome WHO World Health Organization The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic is spreading all over the world. SARS infection A retrospective comparative study showed a shorter hospital stay after convalescent plasma therapy in SARS patients who deteriorated despite ribavirin and high-dose steroid therapy (74% vs. 19%; p = 0.001). Convalescent plasma treatment reduced mortality in patients with severe pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus infection. Anti-influenza immune plasma for the treatment of patients with severe influenza A: a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. [Extracted from the article]