Doctors can now treat critically ill coronavirus patients with blood donated by people who survived the virus.
That's the word from the Food and Drug Administration, which on Tuesday approved the treatment method. Known as convalescent plasma treatment, the idea is that virus-fighting antibodies in a survivor's blood might also kill off the virus in another victim.
"The approach definitely has merit," says Dr. Jeffrey Henderson. "What’s remarkable about it is it’s not a new idea; it’s been with us for a good hundred years or longer."
While FDA officials say they're not viewing the procedure as a permanent solution, they hope it might save some lives while more sophisticated treatments are developed.