US steps up Covid-19 therapy development
(VOVWORLD) - US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the country is stepping up the development of treatments for Covid-19 patients, including experimenting with an antimalarial drug and a blood-related therapy called convalescent plasma.
 A Covid-19 patient is delivered to a heath facility in Brooklyn, New York, the US, on March 28, 2020. (Photo: VNA) |
Addressing a White House briefing, Trump said that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is allowing taking blood plasma from people who have recovered from Covid-19 as an experimental treatment for seriously ill patients.
The US is looking at an approval for the sterilization of masks, President Trump said, adding that the country is using all available resources to push back the coronavirus. He said he expects that by June 1, Americans will be well on their way to recovery while accusing hospitals of hoarding ventilators that are in scarce supply across the US as the coronavirus spreads, adding any hospitals not using the devices must release them.
As of Monday afternoon, the US has confirmed nearly 143,000 coronavirus cases, of whom approximately 2,500 have died.