The Disillusioned Comfort with COVID-19 and the Potential of Convalescent Plasma and Cell Therapy.

Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 is highly infectious, which can lead to acute and chronic debilitating symptoms, as well as mortality. The advent of safe and effective vaccines or antiviral drugs remains distant in the future. Practical public health measures, such as social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a face mask, are the current recommended guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for limiting the spread of the virus. Weakened immune system and aberrant inflammation represent a major pathological symptom of COVID-19 patients. Based on the unique immunomodulatory properties of both convalescent plasma and stem cells, we discuss here their potential use for treating COVID-19.

Fighting the War Against COVID-19 via Cell-Based Regenerative Medicine: Lessons Learned from 1918 Spanish Flu and Other Previous Pandemics.

The human population is in the midst of battling a rapidly-spreading virus- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, responsible for Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19. Despite the resurgences in positive cases after reopening businesses in May, the country is seeing a shift in mindset surrounding the pandemic as people have been eagerly trickling out from federally-mandated quarantine into restaurants, bars, and gyms across America. History can teach us about the past, and today's pandemic is no exception. Without a vaccine available, three lessons from the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic may arm us in our fight against COVID-19. First, those who survived the first wave developed immunity to the second wave, highlighting the potential of passive immunity-based treatments like convalescent plasma and cell-based therapy. Second, the long-term consequences of COVID-19 are unknown. Slow-progressive cases of the Spanish flu have been linked to bacterial pneumonia and neurological disorders later in life, emphasizing the need to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Third, the Spanish flu killed approximately 17 to 50 million people, and the lack of human response, overcrowding, and poor hygiene were key in promoting the spread and high mortality. Human behavior is the most important strategy for preventing the virus spread and we must adhere to proper precautions. This review will cover our current understanding of the pathology and treatment for COVID-19 and highlight similarities between past pandemics. By revisiting history, we hope to emphasize the importance of human behavior and innovative therapies as we wait for the development of a vaccine. Graphical Abstract.