Timing of convalescent plasma administration and 28-day mortality for COVID-19 pneumonia

Convalescent plasma administration (CPA) is widely used to treat Covid-19, but its effectiveness remains controversial. Here we report the results of an Expanded Access Program of CPA in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. We evaluated the relationship between the timing of CPA and 28-day mortality in 4719 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Early (≤3 days from admission) CPA was associated to decreased mortality in patients in the general ward and in the Intensive Care Unit not requiring mechanical ventilation. This suggests that the favorable effect of CPA might be related both to disease acuity and to the therapeutic window.