Convalescent Plasma as a Treatment Modality for Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Sudan (Preprint)

Abstract

Abstract Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease spreading rapidly in Sudan, the rest of the African continent and the world with no known definitive treatment or vaccines. However, among many treatment modalities being tested globally, there is reported clinical improvement when convalescent plasma transfusion is used for COVID-19 patients. We prepared a guiding protocol for treating early COVID-19 patients with plasma transfusion from convalescent COVID-19 patients. This protocol was elicited using the published reports and studies that evaluated and tested convalescent plasma as a potential therapy for COVID-19. The protocol covers guidance on donor selection, screening, donation and handling of blood and plasma units, and instructions on transfusion of convalescent plasma. In conclusion we prepared a treatment protocol that is tailored to the context of Sudan to be adopted by Sudan health authority. Moreover, it will also provide reference for researchers to design open label clinical trials for Convalescent plasma transfusion.