St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) has begun conducting transfusion therapy in a bid to treat coronavirus diseases 2019 (Covid-19) patients who exhibit severe symptoms of the disease. Among the convalescent plasma donors is a cardiology fellow of the hospital, Dr. Jennifer Rodriguez. Convalescent plasma infusion is used to reduce the viral load of severe Covid-19 patients by passively giving them antibodies that developed in the blood plasma of the Covid-19 survivor. Dr. Rodriguez contracted the disease mid-March after being exposed to a colleague who was found to be covid positive after doing rounds. Like many doctors with families to return to, Dr. Rodriguez was first and foremost worried about having exposed her loved-ones to the virus.

Source: Manila Times May 06, 2020 17:38 UTC