COVID-19 patients receiving convalescent plasma therapy recovering, one discharged from hospital

A recovered coronavirus patient donates his plasma in Guangdong Province, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wei Qi'an)

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Among the COVID-19 patients currently receiving convalescent plasma therapy in the virus-hit Wuhan, one has been discharged from hospital, Chinese science authorities said Monday.

Another patient has been able to walk and the rest are still recovering, Sun Yanrong, an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology, said at a press conference in Beijing.

The first dose of convalescent plasma from a COVID-19 patient was collected on Feb. 1 and the first severely ill patient received the treatment at a hospital in Jiangxia District in Wuhan on Feb. 9, said Sun.

Another 10 patients will receive the convalescent plasma therapy this week, Sun added, while calling on more cured patients to donate their plasma.  ■