Coronavirus Update: American Red Cross will soon use antibody test to identify plasma donors

ABC News, by MORGAN WINSOR

(New York) — The global pandemic of the new coronavirus has killed more than 183,000 people worldwide.

Data compiled by the Systems Sciences and Engineering Center at Johns Hopkins University diagnoses COVID-19 in more than 2.6 million people worldwide. COVID-19 is a disease caused by the new respiratory virus. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to lack of testing, many unreported cases, and suspicions that some governments hide the extent of national outbreaks.

Since the first case was detected in China in December, the United States has become the worst affected country, with more than 842,000 diagnosed and at least 46,785 deaths.

Here’s how the news unfolds on Thursday. Always eastern:

7:02 a.m.: All frontline workers in Los Angeles can now take the COVID-19 test

The City of Los Angeles is expanding the standards for those who are eligible for free testing for the new coronavirus.

From Thursday, all frontline workers in the city can be tested for COVID-19 with or without symptoms.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti announced at a news conference Wednesday night that front-line workers include healthcare workers, first responders, grocery workers and key government officials. Stated.

“ We hope we can open it up to everyone, but nobody has firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, hospital caretakers, people in grocery stores, or people lined up in pharmacies. I know, ”said Garcetti. “And we know that they are healthy, have the peace of mind that they know they are healthy, and because they interact with so many people that they are spreading it. I want to make sure I can confirm that it isn’t. “

According to Garcetti, the city’s public testing grounds have the capacity to test 12,200 people per day.

6:25 a.m.: France wants all retailers to resume next month

The French government wants all shops, except bars, cafes and restaurants, to be able to resume after the nationwide blockade next month.

“To be fair, we want all retailers to be able to open in the same way on May 11th,” said French finance minister Bruno Le Mer, Thursday, to French intelligence radio. “Restaurants, bars and cafes are mixed areas, so only set aside items that need special treatment.”

Le Maire pointed out that protocols need to be implemented to protect both workers and customers. He said it’s still unclear whether resumption is possible nationally or only locally.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that he would extend the country’s blockade on 17 March to 11 May to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, and gradually lift it.

According to statistics kept by Johns Hopkins University, more than 157,000 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in France and more than 21,000 deaths have occurred in France.

5:50 am: Germany is on the “thinnest ice”, Angela Merkel warns

German Chancellor Merkel warned that her country is “still in the beginning” of the coronavirus pandemic and citizens need to maintain discipline.

“I’m not outside the forest yet,” said Merkel, speaking at the German parliament on Thursday.

According to the number held by Johns Hopkins University, more than 150,000 people in Germany have been diagnosed with COVID-19, of which 5,315 have died from the disease. This is a relatively low death toll compared to other European countries such as France and Italy with similar cases, but the death toll has skyrocketed to 20,000 in the past.

German federal and state governments agreed last week to mitigate some of the social distance measures implemented to counter outbreaks, including allowing smaller stores to reopen this week. .

“I feel obliged to say that this tentative result is fragile because this number created hope,” Merkel said. “We are on thin ice, even the thinnest ice.”

3:30 am: American Red Cross will soon identify antibody plasma donors using antibody test

Starting next week, the American Red Cross will offer antibody tests for those who were previously suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus and are interested in donating their plasma-in the treatment of COVID-19 patients with serious illness Potential changer.

“It will completely change the situation,” said American Red Cross chief medical officer Dr. Panpy Young told ABC News in a Wednesday interview.

While there is no guarantee that antibodies against this new virus will actually provide immunity, doctors say that patients who are severely ill with COVID-19 may benefit from an infusion of plasma taken from patients who have recovered from the disease. I hope it can be done. Known as convalescent plasma, this treatment is a century-old technique used to treat infectious diseases.

At this time, individuals wishing to donate plasma for convalescent plasma therapy must have a positive COVID-19 test record. The lack of diagnostic tests available has led hospitals and donation centers to say they are in dire need of donors.

“Certifying and donating the right donors to our center is one of the biggest hurdles in this effort,” said Young.

Over 30,000 people have requested donations on the American Red Cross website, but in reality only meet 2-3% of the current standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration. Performing antibody tests at the Red Cross Donation Center in the United States can dramatically increase its donor pool.

“We’re now able to test all (potential) donors who haven’t confirmed the test,” Young said. “We can really survive that time. It’s very important.”

Young explained that researchers and medical professionals are in the unknown realm of “building an airplane in flight.” But she said she’s working around the clock to streamline the process.

“We were up and didn’t really know what we were doing at first,” she told ABC News. “Now we are really providing resources for this project.”

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. all rights reserved.