– The press conference with President Donald Trump at 18.00 (midnight Norwegian time) will be about a major therapeutic breakthrough in connection with the China virus (which Trump calls the coronavirus), Trump’s press secretary Kayleigh McEnany wrote on Twitter Sunday morning Norwegian time.
The Twitter message quickly got a lot of attention, and after a few hours, the president himself spoke:
– Important press conference in the White House today. Very good news! he wrote, and accelerated it to 23.30 Norwegian time.
According to US media, among them CNN, it was expected that Trump would approve a new form of treatment for the coronavirus.
At the press conference, he eases the veil, and confirms the news.
Study: Increases mortality
Approves new treatment
The form of treatment involves injecting a sick patient with blood plasma from people who have already had the disease and who have formed antibodies against it.
– The treatment is safe and very effective. The method will save countless lives, says Trump, who describes it as a “historic breakthrough.” The president urges all former covid-19 patients to donate blood.
The US Food and Drug Administration confirmed on Sunday night that they are urgently approving the corona treatment.
“The FDA’s urgent approval of reconqualifying plasma is a milestone in President Trump’s attempt to save lives from covid-19, says Health and Humanities Secretary Alex Azar in a press release.
Azar emphasizes that several months ago, the FDA began work on making convalescence plasma available. Since then, 70,000 American patients have received this treatment.
According to the Norwegian Medicines Agency, blood plasma can reduce mortality among covid-19 patients by 35 percent.
Norwegian patient received the treatment – got better
A Norwegian in his 70s who became seriously ill with the coronavirus, experienced improvement after receiving treatment with so-called convalescence plasma at Haugesund Hospital earlier this summer, wrote Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association.
view more
–
The 70-year-old was described as previously very fit, but had a serious course of the disease. After eight days of high fever, he was admitted to the hospital. Severe respiratory failure then led to the man being connected to a respirator.
It was discussed and decided that he should receive the form of treatment with the blood bank, at the same time as the health authorities in the EU had come up with an invitation to use it.
During the next 24 hours of treatment, the man’s fever disappeared, and a nasal sample taken on day 32 was negative. The same was true of two consecutive lung tests, according to the journal.
13 died in coronarazzia – attacked nightclub
Accused of coaching development
Trump’s announcement comes days after he accused the FDA of training the development and approval of a corona vaccine.
When asked last week why the FDA had not approved the form of treatment with blood plasma, he replied that it was about politics, according to CNN.
Treatment with convalescent plasma has already been tried in several countries.
– We do not know for sure if the treatment with blood plasma with antibodies works against covid-19, but we strongly believe that it does, said chief physician at Haugesund Hospital and professor at the University of Bergen, Tor Hervig, previously told Bergensavisen.
–
