Vietnam developing guidelines on plasma therapy to treat Covid-19

Doctors taking care of a Covid-19 patient in critical condition being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. — VNA/VNS

HANOI (Vietnam News/ANN): The Vietnamese health ministry confirmed that they would soon issue interim guidelines on the use of plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients as a possible treatment for the disease.

The National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion and the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases are in charge of developing the guidelines on receiving, storing and transporting the convalescent plasma. Vietnam's decision to explore this pathway in dealing with the disease was prompted by international studies and reports which suggest that blood plasma containing Covid-19 antibodies drawn from recovered patients may help fight off the novel strain of the coronavirus.