Protective immune response induced by Covid-19 infection: development, duration and application in convalescent plasma therapy

For the prevention of the global health threat SARS-CoV-2, there are currently no vaccines or drugs available for treatment. In convalescent plasma therapy, an acute Covid-19 infection is treated with plasma separated from the blood of a person who has recovered from the disease. Research results on convalescent plasma treatment for SARS, MERS and Covid-19 infections point to faster healing and fewer deaths. Controlled studies are needed on the effectiveness of the treatment. In our study investigating convalescent plasma treatment, we choose as plasma donors convalescents whose blood contains neutralizing antibodies that render the virus ineffective. Volunteer Covid-19 patients who are hospitalized are randomized to receive convalescent plasma or traditional treatment. They are monitored with various metrics. If the treatment proves to be effective, efforts will be made to make convalescent plasma available to Finnish hospitals. The research is carried out in cooperation with the Helsinki University Hospital, the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service.