Corpus Christi to test COVID-19 treatment

Every recovered COVID-19 patient in Corpus Christ could save the lives of four critically ill COVID-19 patients, said Director of Public Health Annette Rodriguez. The Nueces County/Corpus Christi Health Department and the Coastal Bend Blood Center are working together on a “very promising technique” to fight the coronavirus pandemic Rodriguez said at a news briefing April 1. It was no joke.
“This is an emergency technique allowed by the FDA during the fight against the COVID-19 disease,” Rodriguez said. “For those individuals who were positive with COVID-19, we are asking you to consider being part of the program as soon as you recover.”
The Convalescence Plasma Program extracts plasma from the blood of patients who have recovered from the disease. That plasma contains essential antibodies that can help critically ill patients recover by slowing down symptoms.
The liquid part of blood, plasma, is known as “the gift of life,” as it contains glucose, clotting factors, electrolytes, and a variety of proteins, including antibodies that defend the human body against infections. The antibodies in plasma seek out and destroy bacteria and viruses in the body.
“This program can aid in recovery until medication or a vaccine can be developed,” Rodriguez said.
The more than 100-year-old therapy has been used to successfully fight Spanish flu, diphtheria, and Ebola. The question is whether it can also aid patients with COVID-19.
The plasma is collected by a process called plasmapheresis, which separates the plasma from blood cells. The remaining red and white blood cells are returned to the plasma donor, whose body rapidly replaces the plasma and proteins removed. A donor can safely provide plasma every two weeks.
Convalescent serum therapy was used for the first time on a COVID-19 patient at Houston Methodist Hospital the weekend of March 28-29 after the Food and Drug Administration fast tracked use of the procedure on the new coronavirus March 28.
“Convalescent serum therapy could be a vital treatment route,” said Eric Salazar, M.D. Ph.D. in a statement. He is the principal investigator and a physician scientist in the pathology and genomic medicine department at Houston Methodist research Institute. “There is relatively little to offer many patients except supportive care — and the ongoing clinical trials are going to take a while. We don’t have that much time.”
The health district is also seeking used CPAP machines used to treat patients with sleep apnea. The sleep apnea assisted breathing machines can also be used as ventilators for COVID-19 patients. A drop-off location where donations can be left will be announced at a later date.