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While doom and gloom about the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly dominated headlines of late, there has been cause to stay positive during this unprecedented situation. Communities have banded together to support front line workers with offers of food, places to stay while self-isolating, and both large manufacturers and home-based makers churning out personal protective equipment.
The unsung heroes of society like truckers and grocery clerks are finally getting their due. And, for once, a benchmark has been crossed that’s worth celebrating.
The incredible efforts of front line healthcare workers around the globe are paying off, as the world has now seen more than 300,000 recoveries from COVID-19.
That’s according to figures out of Johns Hopkins , which has been tracking the disease’s spread since the beginning of the outbreak in China. As of this writing, a total of 346,376 people have been declared recovered.
The same data reports 1,536,979 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with 93,425 deaths. The U.S. has by far the largest number of cases with 451,491, almost 300,000 more than Spain.
China leads the way in recoveries with 77,679; the U.S. has seen 24,790 recoveries so far.
However, there’s some inconsistency as to how a person can be declared recovered. According to CDC guidelines , if a person has been tested, they qualify as recovered when they don’t have a fever without the help of medicine, any respiratory symptoms have improved, and they’ve had two consecutive negative tests.
Without testing, anybody who suspects they had COVID-19 is considered recovered when they’ve gone three days without a fever, their respiratory symptoms have improved, and they have had no other symptoms for 72 hours.
However, it’s unclear whether those who haven’t been tested are counted with the data for those who have recovered.
That high number of recoveries is important for more than just morale.
People recover from the virus when their bodies produce enough antibodies to fight the infection off. Doctors have been putting those antibodies to work, trying to use plasma from the blood of recovered patients to help those who are seriously ill recover.
While such treatments are clinically unproven, experiments are underway in many nations all the same.
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South Korea has reported some success with the plasma treatments.
According to Newsweek , two patients, one 67 and the other 71, have both recovered, with the 71-year-old man being weaned off a ventilator.
Unfortunately, there is some strict criteria required for would-be donors. According to the Red Cross, those who have recovered and who wish to donate their plasma need to be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds, be in good health, be feeling well, and be without symptoms for at least 14 days prior to donation.
h/t: The Miami Herald , Newsweek
