One investigational treatment being explored for COVID-19 is the use of convalescent plasma or CCP collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. CCP that contains antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is being studied for administration to patients with COVID-19. Use of convalescent plasma has been studied in outbreaks of other respiratory infections, including the 2003 SARS-CoV-1 epidemic, the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic, and the 2012 MERS-CoV epidemic.

Although promising, CCP has not yet been shown to be safe and effective as a treatment for COVID-19, explains Dr. Glen Ramsey, Medical Director of the Blood Bank at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and Chair of the CAP Transfusion, Apheresis, and Cellular Therapy Committee. In this CAPcast, Dr. Ramsey provides a basic primer on CCP, as well as explains why it’s important to study the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in clinical trials and the blood bank’s role in providing CCP.

Visit CAP.org's COVID-19 site for more updates related to pathologists and laboratory medicine: www.cap.org/covid-19.