The use of plasma from convalescent subjects, who survived the disease, as been used for other previous viral epidemics, such as for example Ebola, MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, MERS-CoV), H1N1pdm09 (pandemic 2009 influenza A H1N1) , may have a therapeutic role, without serious adverse events in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Furthermore, the possibility of having local donors offers the added value of giving a specific immunity acquired against the infectious agent of the local strain, in consideration of the fact that in other areas the strain may be different. The possibility of quickly and effectively collecting the plasma by means of an apheresis procedure, making it immediately available to the patient who needs it, represents at this time a further therapeutic possibility.
The goal of this project is to consolidate the hyperimmune plasma biobank collected from patients recovering from COVID-19 in order to allow its use in COVID19 patients, in critical clinical conditions.
In particular, to date, more than 300 units of hyperimmune plasma (by apheresis procedure) from convalescent COVID19 patients have been collected at the Transfusion Centers in the province of Bergamo. Part of this collected plasma has already been used to treat about twenty critically ill patients with COVID19. The number of hyperimmune plasma donors (convalescent COVID19 patients) who want to donate their plasma is remarkably high and this will allow us to create a large biobank of COVID19 hyperimmune plasma available for use in the event of a possible second wave.