US authorises plasma treatment for COVID-19

Regional railroads officials oversee that passengers respect the obligation to wear mask in Dortmund, Germany on Monday. Pic/AFP

President Donald Trump announced emergency authorisation to treat COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma, a move he called 'a breakthrough,' one of his top health officials called 'promising' and other health experts said needs more study before it's celebrated.

The announcement came after White House officials complained there were politically motivated delays by the Food and Drug Administration in approving a vaccine and therapeutics for the disease that has upended Trump's reelection chances.

On the eve of the Republican National Convention, Trump put himself at the centre of the FDA's announcement of the authorisation at a news conference on Sunday evening. The authorisation makes it easier for some patients to obtain the treatment but is not the same as full FDA approval.

The blood plasma, taken from patients who have recovered from the Coronavirus and rich in antibodies, may provide benefits to those battling the disease. But the evidence so far has not been conclusive about whether it works, when to administer it and what dose is needed.

In a letter describing the emergency authorisation, the chief scientist for the FDA, Denise Hinton, said: "COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months."

But Trump had made clear to aides that he was eager to showcase good news in the battle against the virus, and the timing allowed him to head into his convention with momentum. He also displayed some rare discipline in the evening news conference, sticking to his talking points, deferring to the head of the FDA, Stephen Hahn, and only taking three questions from reporters. The push on Sunday came a day after Trump tweeted sharp criticism on the process to treat the virus, which has killed more than 175,000 Americans and imperilled his reelection chances.

More than 70,000 patients in the US have been given convalescent plasma, a century-old approach to fend off flu and measles before vaccines. It's a go-to tactic when new diseases come along, and history suggests it works against some, but not all, infections.

The Mayo Clinic reported data from 35,000 COVID-19 patients treated with plasma, and said there were fewer deaths among people given plasma within three days of diagnosis, and also among those given plasma containing the highest levels of virus-fighting antibodies.

Spanish region bans gatherings of more than 10

Madrid: Catalonia's president has announced a ban on social gatherings of more than 10 people and widespread testing of half a million students in Spain's northeastern region. The new series of measures announced by Quim Torra aims to curb a wave of new Coronavirus infections ahead of the re-opening of schools in mid-September.

"We have to give everything in the coming three weeks, because yes or yes this country has to get to work and yes or yes schools need to open," the regional chief said
at a news conference. Spain as a whole leads Europe's charts with more than 386,000 total reported infections since February.

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