WHO Tamps Down Optimism Around Trump-Touted ‘Breakthrough’ Treatment for COVID-19

The World Health Organization pushed back against the use of convalescent plasma as a treatment for the coronavirus although the White House granted authorization of it.

On Monday, WHO’s chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan appeared for a press briefing where she expressed concern about President Donald Trump describing convalescent plasma as a “breakthrough” for coronavirus treatment.

Although the same types of treatments have been used for the seasonal flu and other outbreaks like the measles and Ebola, Swaminathan warned that the level of effectiveness remains unclear where coronavirus is concerned, according to The Associated Press.

During a White House press briefing in the Rose Garden on Sunday, Trump described the treatment as “powerful therapy that transfuses very, very strong antibodies from the blood of recovered patients to help patients battling an infection.”

“This is a powerful therapy that transfuses very, very strong antibodies from the blood of recovered patients to help patients battling an infection. It’s had an incredible rate of success,” Trump said on Sunday. “Today’s action will dramatically expand access to this treatment.”

“The results are not conclusive,” Swaminathan said of the treatment, adding, “At the moment, it’s still very low-quality evidence.”

As part of Trump’s announcement, he also confirmed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had been granted emergency authorization for the plasma treatment.

However, Swaminathan warned of variations in the antibody levels a person produces which can make it relatively difficult to make the use of convalescent a standardized treatment.

Although Swaminathan noted that the use of plasma may be necessary for considerable situations where the “benefits outweigh the risks,” she also stressed that it “should not be considered a new standard of care.”

“Of course, countries can do an emergency listing if they feel the benefits outweigh the risks,” she said. “But that’s usually done when you’re waiting for the more definitive evidence.”

As of Tuesday morning, the coronavirus continues to spread in states across the country. There are 5.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States as the death toll surpasses 180,000.