WHILE admitting plasma therapy remains an experimental treatment for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is calling on survivors of the dreaded disease to consider donating blood to present patients.
In a virtual press conference on Thursday, PGH spokesman Dr. Jonas del Rosario appealed to those who have recovered from COVID-19 to help others possibly recover from the disease.
“Some of the patients are severe and critical cases, who have exhausted all other treatment options with no success. For them, plasma therapy could be the last resort. That’s why we’re looking for more donors,” said Del Rosario.
“We are calling for plasma donations from COVID-19 survivors. Their antibodies may help save patients who are still battling the disease, especially the severe and critical cases,” he added.
Del Rosario said they are making the appeal as the PGH sees plasma therapy as a possible “stop-gap” measure to hold the virus at bay while more complex treatments are being developed.
“A vaccine is a year out. But what if we can use the antibodies of those who have already survived to strengthen the immune system of those still battling the virus?” said Del Rosario.
Known as convalescent plasma therapy, the treatment is a century-old technique that involves the transfusion of plasma, the liquid component of blood, from a recovered patient to a sick patient.
The treatment, according to PGH, has been tried and tested on numerous illnesses, most recently for diseases such as Ebola, SARS, MERS-CoV, and swine flu.
Since beginning the experimental treatment, Del Rosario said, the PGH has received over 90 inquiries, with at least 21 passing the criteria as donor and at least 19 having already donated plasma.
At least five COVID-19 patients have received transfusion, he added.
For all COVID-19 survivors who want to donate, Del Rosario said they may call the PGH hotline at 155-200, where they will be first evaluated over the phone.
If found eligible to donate, a PGH medical worker will conduct a home visit to get informed consent and a blood sample. The donor will then be asked to come to the College of Medicine in UP Manila to donate blood.
MORE FUNDS FOR RESEARCH
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the P10-million reward being offered by President Duterte for any Filipino who can develop a vaccine for COVID-19 vaccine is good but pouring more budget to research and development is better.
He said this year’s budget for research and development was pegged at only 0.4 percent of the P4.1-trillion 2020 national budget, a far smaller amount compared to other countries.
“It would mean much more if the government invested more on research and development than the token annual average of 0.4 percent from the General Appropriations Act,” Lacson said in a statement.
“We only need to look at how much the most prosperous countries spend on R&D to see why we are among the laggards. Even if we bump up the percentage to 1 or 2 percent of the national budget, it would make a major difference,” he added. — With Raymond Africa
