COVID-19 treatment ineffective in study

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday showed disappointing results from convalescent plasma treatments for the coronavirus. Researchers gave 250 random emergency room coronavirus patients infusions of blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors, while another 250 patients got dummy infusions. The outcomes were not significantly different between the groups: Nearly a third of both became sick and returned to the hospital. Five patients died in the plasma group, while only one died in the other group.

What about other treatments? One of them, Regeneron’s antibody cocktail, is two drugs that together mimic the antibodies a person might naturally get after having COVID-19. President Donald Trump got the treatment when he had the disease, and now Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is receiving it. Abbott recently announced nine new antibody treatment centers would open in the state. Florida and Missouri are also expanding access to the antibody cocktail. Some are criticizing Republican state leaders for expanding the expensive treatment while not allowing mask and vaccine mandates. This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine because its effectiveness wanes after six months.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Dunn and Esther Eaton’s report in Schooled about how different states are handling mask mandates for students and teachers.