WHO advises against use of survivors’ plasma to treat COVID

GENEVA (AP) — Experts at the World Health Organization have recommended against using blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 to treat patients with the illness. WHO said Tuesday that an international group of experts concluded the costly, time-consuming transfusions haven’t been shown effective in preventing severe illness or death. The guidance against the use of convalescent plasma, a component of blood that is rich in antibodies, was published in the British Medical Journal based on results from 16 trials involving more than 16,000 patients. The U.N. health agency says that while the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients initially held promise as a treatment, the current evidence shows it doesn’t increase survival rates.