Trump to announce new treatment for Covid-19 in the evening

Donald Trump is expected to announce on Sunday evening the emergency authorization for the transfusion of blood plasma from people cured of the coronavirus to hospitalized patients, several American media indicated on Sunday, a treatment already widely used in the United States.

Transfusion of this plasma, which contains antibodies, is intended to enable patients to eliminate the virus more quickly and to limit damage to the body.

While the treatment has already produced results, its exact effectiveness is still debated and there is a risk of side effects and transmission of infectious agents.

“Plasma from convalescing people probably works, although it should be confirmed by clinical trials, but not as emergency treatment for seriously ill patients,” warns Dr Len Horovitz, Respiratory intern at Lenox Hospital Hill in New York.

According to him, it would be more effective if given at the very first signs of the disease, which is not the case today.

In a tweet announcing the President’s press conference late Sunday afternoon, Donald Trump’s spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany spoke of Donald Trump’s announcement of a “major therapeutic breakthrough” .

But the American Medicines Agency (FDA) already authorized the transfusion of plasma from people recovered from the coronavirus under certain conditions, as part of clinical trials or for patients in desperate circumstances.

According to the Washington Post, more than 70,000 patients have already received a transfusion of plasma taken from convalescent people.

Asked by AFP, the White House did not immediately follow up.

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