In a letter describing the emergency authorization, the chief scientist for the FDA, Denise Hinton, said: “Covid-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with Covid-19. He and aides billed it as a “major” development and used the White House briefing room to make the announcement. The White House had grown agitated with the pace of the plasma approval. The Mayo Clinic reported preliminary data from 35,000 coronavirus patients treated with plasma, and said there were fewer deaths among people given plasma within three days of diagnosis, and also among those given plasma containing the highest levels of virus-fighting antibodies. That includes statements about the possible value of treating COVID-19 patients with ultraviolet light and disinfectant.

Source: Manila Times August 23, 2020 23:26 UTC