NHS to increase number of Covid-19 patients receiving antibody therapy

All hospital patients with coronavirus in England to be eligible for convalescent plasma

• Coronavirus - latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Hospitals in England will increase the number of people getting blood plasma transfusions from recovered Covid-19 patients this week, to learn whether the antibody-rich serum can help combat the disease.

So far few severely ill patients in UK intensive care units have been treated with convalescent plasma, but the transfusions are thought to be more effective if used earlier on before the coronavirus causes devastating damage.