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TO Newsroom
UPDATE 6:40 p.m. PT – Saturday, January 9, 2021
Florida doctors say a new stem cell treatment has been very effective in treating coronavirus.
Reports from Friday detailed the treatment, using stem cells collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn. Patients treated with the cells reportedly saw a 91 percent survival rate with faster recovery times.
According to experts, the cells share properties with treatments used to fight autoimmune diseases.
Cord blood and umbilical cord, collected in hospitals, are prepared for storage. (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Doctors have called the treatment a “possible turning point.”
“These cells that are injected into the drip naturally go through a very simple procedure that does not require an invasive procedure,” said Dr. Camillo Ricordi from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. ‘You can just send the transfusion to the lung. The cells go to the lungs and it’s just been an amazing result and we’re really excited to move on to the next step. “
Medics transport a patient on a stretcher from an ambulance outside of Emergency at Coral Gables Hospital, where coronavirus patients are being treated in Coral Gables near Miami, Florida on December 10, 2020 .– The United States recorded more than 3,000 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours , according to the Johns Hopkins University census – the highest daily toll since April. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images)
Doctors said using cells from just one umbilical cord could provide therapeutic doses for more than 10,000 patients.