Emergency Study Hopes To Find Answers For Coronavirus Patients Struggling To Survive
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- With no known cure to COVID-19, doctors across the country are participating in an emergency study that could help patients struggling to survive.
Inside Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, doctors say four COVID-19 patients are hanging onto life.
"I'm an ICU doctor, so all my patients are critically ill," Dr. Pablo Garcia said. "All have varying degrees of organ failure."
ER's across the country are swamped, overflowing with desperately ill coronavirus patients.
But doctors think people who have already beaten the virus are walking around with life saving antibodies in their plasma.
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The Mayo Clinic and hospitals across the country want those survivors to donate now.
Saint Agnes is part of this emergency clinical trial.
"The idea of this experimental therapy is that, if we can get plasma from someone who has been sick with COVID-19 but has recovered, that plasma carries antibodies to the virus," Garcia said, "We can transfuse those antibodies to someone who is still fighting the virus and potentially help their immune system."
Baltimore City has at least two institutions partnering with the Mayo Clinic, including Johns Hopkins University.
The Red Cross will also be on the frontlines of this emergency study, collecting plasma from survivors.
Kevin Greenaugh said the study is a no brainer and that he'll donate if he qualifies.
"I just think that from a spiritual perspective, from a society perspective, that if I have the antibody in my body that can help other people, this is something that I should do," Greenaugh said.
It's a possible fix patients and their doctors across the country hope will work.
"We don't know yet, but it certainly has potential to be a game-changer," Garcia said.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
