No clear benefit from convalescent plasma

3 minute read

Communicable Disease COVID-19 Live blog

By

Bianca Nogrady

A randomised controlled trial in people with moderate COVID-19 has found no impact on time to progression or all-cause mortality.

Welcome to The Medical Republic’s COVID Catch-Up.

It’s the day’s COVID-19 news in one convenient post. Email bianca@biancanogrady.com with any tips, comments or feedback.

23 October

  • A randomised controlled trial of convalescent plasma in people with moderate COVID-19 has found no impact on time to progression or all-cause mortality, according to a paper published in the BMJ.
    Researchers randomised adults admitted to hospital with moderate COVID-19 either to two doses of plasma taken from individuals who had previously recovered from COVID-19, or standard of care alone.
    The study found no significant difference between the two groups in the time it took to progress to severe disease, nor was there any difference in all-cause mortality.
    The authors also looked at whether there was any effect based on the quantity of neutralising antibodies in the convalescent plasma, but still found no difference in the primary outcomes.
    “Although the use of convalescent plasma seemed to improve resolution of shortness of breath and fatigue in patients with moderate covid-19 and led to higher negative conversion of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on day 7 post-enrolment, this did not translate into a reduction in 28 day mortality or progression to severe disease,” they wrote.
  • Health practitioners who are unable to meet the minimum number of hours of practice requirements in order to renew their registration can still apply to renew and instead meet those requirements next renewal.
    The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency says it has implemented the temporary measure in recognition of the fact that some practitioners may be struggling to meet the recency of practice registration standard requirements because of the pandemic, due either to an impact on employment or patient numbers.
    “Practitioners will need to meet the recency of practice standard requirements as set out in the relevant Recency of practice registration standard when they apply for renewal in 2021,” AHPRA said in a statement. The policy came into effect on October 22, and will remain in place until 31 January 2021.
  • How can CPR be done safely on a person with COVID-19? Good question, and one that Australia’s National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has addressed in its latest update.
    The Taskforce has published three new flowcharts: one on preparing for CPR during the pandemic, one on actually doing CPR on an individual with COVID-19, and one how to perform basic life support for an adult in community setting.
    The latest update also includes a recommendation against using hydroxychloroquine for pre-exposure COVID-19 prophylaxis in healthcare workers.
  • Managing a pregnancy or newborn is hard enough, but throw a pandemic into the mix and no wonder new and expectant parents are struggling. Calls to the Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia hotline have doubled nationally since March 2020, according to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, and 43% of those calls have been Victorians.
  • The ACT has recorded its first new case of COVID-19 since July 10, in a diplomat who returned from overseas and is in quarantine. Two contacts of the man are also being monitored for symptoms.
    The eight new cases reported in West Australia yesterday are all returned travellers in hotel quarantine, as are the seven new cases reported in New South Wales.
    Here are the latest confirmed COVID-19 infection numbers from around Australia to 9pm Thursday:
    National – 27,488, with 905 deaths
    ACT – 114 (1)
    NSW – 4363 (7)
    NT – 33 (0)
    QLD – 1165 (0)
    SA – 485 (0)
    TAS – 230 (0)
    VIC – 20,329 (5)
    WA – 747 (8)

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