COVID-19 convalescent plasma treatment of moderate and severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection: A multicenter interventional study.

OBJECTIVE

To study the effectiveness of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) therapy for patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 disease.

METHODS

This non-randomized prospective cohort study was conducted from May 21 to June 30, 2020, at four major tertiary hospitals in Kuwait. CCP was administered to 135 patients. The control group comprised 233 patients who received standard treatment. All patients (N = 368, median age 54 [range 15-82]) had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and either moderate or severe COVID-19 disease.

RESULTS

CCP treatment was associated with a higher rate of clinical improvement in patients with moderate or severe disease. Among those with moderate COVID-19 disease, time to clinical improvement was 7 days in the CCP group, versus 8 days in the control group (p = 0·006). For severe COVID-19 disease, time to clinical improvement was 7 days in the CCP group, versus 15.5 days in the control group (p = 0·003). In the adjusted analysis, patients with moderate disease treated with CCP had a significantly lower 30-day mortality rate. Compared to the control group, oxygen saturation improved within 3 days of CCP transfusion, and lymphocyte counts improved from day 7 in patients with moderate COVID-19 disease and day 11 in patients with severe disease. C-reactive protein levels declined throughout the first 14 days after CCP transfusion. None of the CCP patients developed a serious transfusion reaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The data show that administration of CCP is a safe treatment option for patients with COVID-19 disease with a favorable outcome in the rate of, and time to, clinical improvement.