Doctor: COVID-19 positive Michiganders needed for plasma treatment study

The race between COVID-19 vaccines and the more contagious viral variants has intensified. As the U.S. struggles to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations — with only a fraction of the population vaccinated — we need to explore other options to treat those who have been exposed to the virus, curb dangerous outbreaks and save lives.

Some worry new variants could push herd immunity further from reach. Yet there might be a way to reduce the business shutdowns, disruptive quarantines and fear surrounding an exposure to or infection by COVID-19 before vaccines are widely distributed.

My colleagues and I at Johns Hopkins University are investigating if a blood plasma transfusion containing high levels of antibodies to COVID-19, given early in illness, reduces the severity of the disease or even prevents people from developing an infection entirely. We believe this treatment could cut hospitalizations by up to half and prevent deaths among those at high risk. We also believe the antibody-rich plasma will help patients with milder cases recover faster and reduce the spread of the virus.

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Others, too, are testing this hypothesis. A recent Argentinian study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that the early use of convalescent plasma reduced the relative risk of severe respiratory disease by 48% in 160 patients over the age of 65.

If we can confirm this treatment is effective in all age groups, we could figure out how to live with COVID-19, rather than letting it control our every move. But we need your help.

The threat of new variants

If the more transmissible coronavirus variants establish a foothold across the nation, the pandemic could be prolonged. While an increase in vaccinations could help quell the spread, antibody rich convalescent blood plasma has unique advantages as a treatment option for variants due to its ability to automatically adjust to new strains circulating in the community.

Plasma is not a new therapy. It’s been used for over a century to fight infectious diseases from measles (which is even more contagious than COVID-19) to polio to mumps, not to mention the influenza pandemic of 1918.

Compared to drugs or vaccines — with which it can be used in combination — blood plasma is made in nature, not in factories, so there’s less chance of a recall or supply chain issue. Production, delivery and storage are cost-effective, making this a promising therapy for resource-constrained countries or hard-to-reach rural areas of America. Blood plasma could also be scaled quickly around the world by leveraging well-established distribution networks.

If our trials prove effective, outpatient clinics with proper freezer storage and sterilization for blood transfusions could immediately treat individuals anywhere in the world. This therapy is also adaptable as the virus mutates: plasma from people who have defeated the viral variants can be implemented more quickly than monoclonals or vaccines, which must be redeveloped and extensively tested before being used.

Consider a wedding where one guest fell ill, or a transatlantic flight after which one passenger tested positive. Both the infected individual and those who came into contact with that person could immediately be given a dose of plasma, creating a circle of immunity around a positive case and curbing an outbreak.

We need your help

Johns Hopkins is working with 25 testing sites across the country, including Wayne State University, to investigate this treatment. If you have tested positive in the last six days or have been exposed in the last three days to a family member or colleague who has tested positive, you could potentially receive a life-saving treatment and help end the pandemic. This Clinical Trial Location Finder can help you find which testing site is closest to you.

Our trials are truly by the people and for the people: U.S. taxpayers fund our research, the plasma is donated by COVID-19 survivors, and hundreds of volunteers of varying faiths and races make our work possible.

After joining our study, volunteers receive a physical exam and a transfusion of plasma. As the illness progresses, they will attend virtual and in-person follow-up visits, with direct access to top-quality infectious disease doctors. All medical care provided as part of the study is free, and volunteers are compensated. 

With many health experts warning that it may not be a matter of if but when one of the more contagious viral variants will become the dominant strain, we need to act now to get ahead of this rapidly spreading disease. We hope you join us in this fight for a better future at CovidPlasmaTrial.org. 

David Sullivan, M.D., is professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a principal investigator for the Johns Hopkins Plasma Trials. To see if you qualify for the study, visit CovidPlasmaTrial.org or call 888-506-1199.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19, or if you are a clinician working with patients who are, consider visitingCovidPlasmaTrial.org or calling the plasma trial’s call center at 1-888-506-1199 if you have a recent exposure or a new positive COVID test to learn more about how you can contribute to a solution. Se habla Español