convalescent plasma — including more than 20,000 in the U.S. — with little solid evidence so far that it makes a difference.
One recent study from China was unclear while another from New York offered a hint of benefit.“We have glimmers of hope,” said Dr.
Shmuel Shoham of Johns Hopkins University.With more rigorous testing of plasma treatment underway, Shoham is launching a nationwide study asking the next logical question: Could giving survivors plasma right after a high-risk exposure to the virus stave off illness?To tell, researchers at Hopkins and 15 other sites will recruit health workers, spouses of the sick and residents of nursing homes where someone just fell ill and “they’re trying to nip it in the bud,” Shoham said.