COLUMBUS – Doctors at the OSU Wexner Medical Center on Monday completed a transfusion of blood from a recovered coronavirus patient into a current sufferer, the first patient such procedure on a patient in central or northern Ohio.
The transfusion is part of a nationwide effort to provide “convalescent plasma,” which often contains antibodies that could possibly attack the virus, to people who are ill hospital officials said.
“This ‘compassionate use’ therapy shows promise to lessen the severity or shorten the length of COVID-19,” said Dr. Scott Scrape, a pathologist and director of the hospital‘s Transfusion Medicine.
“While this is a new treatment for COVID-19, throughout history, medical professionals have used antibodies from the blood of recovered patients as a treatment for infections when vaccines or other medications weren’t yet available,” Scrape said.
Researchers will also study the donated plasma to learn which antibodies perform best.
OSU Wexner Medical Center is part of a national consortium to coordinate expanded access to convalescent plasma. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows the use of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 through an emergency investigational new drug application process with academic institutions to evaluate its safety and efficacy.
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The Greater Columbus Convention Center is being converted to an 1,100-bed alternate care facility to house coronavirus patients in the event of a spike that strains the area’s hospital system.
Yesterday, Health Commissioner @DrMRoberts joined @MayorGinther and hospital leaders to tour the Alternate Care Center at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (@cbusconventions) that will accept overflow COVID-19 hospital patients if needed. pic.twitter.com/SFz3q6ywUS
— Columbus Health (@ColumbusHealth) April 14, 2020
The convention center was one of six alternative sites Gov. Mike DeWine named earlier this month as facilities that would be used for mildly ill patients so that traditional hospital space could be used to house the most serious cases.
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Nearly $3 million is on its way to Ohio to help with the battle against the coronavirus.
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Tuesday that $2.9 million from the $2.2 trillion pandemic rescue package approved by Congress last month, will go to Ohio through the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program to help state and local governments in their planning and operational readiness for COVID-19 preparedness and response, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman announced Tuesday.
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Portman also announced that the Department of Education is distributing $388 million to over 200 Ohio colleges and universities as part of the same coronavirus response bill, Portman announced.
The funds include $42.9 million for Ohio State, $12.6 million for Columbus State Community College $2.5 million for Capital University, $2.25 million for Otterbein University, $1.19 million for Ohio Dominican University, $1.7 million for the Columbus College of Art and Design and $847,000 for Franklin University.