Chinese doctors using plasma therapy on coronavirus, WHO says 'very valid' approach

The nurses talk inside finished but still unused building A2 of the Shanghai Public Clinical Center, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Shanghai, China February 17, 2020. Noel Celis/Pool via REUTERS

SHANGHAI/GENEVA (Reuters) - Doctors in Shanghai are using infusions of blood plasma from people who have recovered from the coronavirus to treat those still battling the infection, reporting some encouraging preliminary results, a Chinese professor said on Monday.

A top emergency expert at the World Health Organization (WHO) said later that using convalescent plasma was a "very valid" approach to test, but that it was important to get the timing right to maximise the boost to a patient's immunity.