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Objectives To describe the efficacy of convalescent plasma transfusion for COVID-19 patients. Methods Through the review of the electronic medical records of Guizhou Jiangjunshan Hospital, clinical data of 6 patients were obtained. Three of the patients used convalescent plasma therapy for the first treatment, while the other three patients were used during in the recurrence. The efficacy of convalescent plasma depends on the relief of symptoms, changes in laboratory indicators and chest imaging abnormalities. Results The PaO2 / FiO2 and lymphocyte count of patients 1, 2 and 3 treated with convalescent plasma treatment for the first treatment period were changed from abnormal to normal. The levels of inflammation markers CRP and IL-6 of the patients decreased significantly. Chest imaging examination showed that the lung lesions gradually subsided. The relapsed patients (No. 4 and No. 6), after using convalescent plasma therapy, turned negative on two consecutive throat swab tests on Day 24 and Day 3, respectively. The basic condition of patient 4 with in the recurrence was too poor, and only one round of convalescent plasma transfusion was performed, so the laryngeal swab test paper has been consistently positive so far. Conclusions Six patients with COVID-19 were treated with antivirals and systemic corticosteroids combined with appropriate rounds of convalescent plasma therapy, and their clinical conditions were effectively improved.

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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus has a high incidence rate and strong infectivity. The diagnosis and evaluation of familial outbreaks requires a collective consideration of epidemiological history, molecular detection methods, chest computed tomography (CT), and clinical symptoms. Methods: A group of family patients with COVID-19 diagnosed in Guizhou, China, in February 2020, was retrospectively analyzed. As of March 1, all patients in the group have been discharged from hospital. This study tracked all patients in the group. We report the epidemiology, radiological characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes of these patients. Results: We collected a group of 8 clustered cases (3 men and 5 women) from a family with confirmed COVID-19 infection. In the first admission diagnosis, according to the degree of clinical symptoms, the 8 patients were defined as mild type (4/8) or moderate type (4/8). They were also divided according to the CT findings into early period (1/8), progressive period (3/8), and negative on CT scan (4/8); for the first 4 patients, the corresponding CT image scores were 1, 4, 5, and 5 respectively. In this group of COVID-19 patients, half of the patients showed occult clinical manifestations and negative CT performance. We defined these patients as COVID-19-infected patients, or asymptomatic carriers. Conclusions: The family cluster analysis indicated that COVID-19-infected patients (asymptomatic carriers) and symptomatic COVID-19 patients are distinct but coexistent. This may indicate that the infectivity and virulence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) has decreased. In order to block the transmission pathway of this virus before it spreads, we need to identify the presence of asymptomatic carriers as early as possible.

The coronavirus disease 2019 , caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread rapidly, which now has turned into a pandemic. The new emerging infectious disease has raised many challenges and uncertainties regarding disease management and prognosis in immunocompromised patient populations. The risk of COVID-19 among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has different opinions. Some scholars speculated that patients with HIV may be at decreased risk for complications of COVID-19 because HIV antiretroviral medications may have activity against coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2. But others have the opposite because of the immunosuppression for HIV patients. Here we reported a case of HIV-infected patient confirmed with COVID-19 and had a favourable prognosis. The patient was a 24-year-old male who was diagnosed with HIV infection 2 years ago and then followed a regular antiretroviral therapy (ART). After infected with COVID-19, the patient had no other clinical symptoms and laboratory abnormalities throughout the course of the disease except presented with fever for a short-term (2 days), and no secondary infection or exacerbation occurred after admission in hospital. Follow-up chest CT showed that the lung lesions disappeared within a short period of time. After standard treatment by 9 days, the patient was cured and discharged. This report highlights the importance of ART for HIV-infected persons, and with regular ART for HIV patients may reduce adverse consequences after infection with COVID-19.