(Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED at 6:40 pm PT – Saturday 9 January 2021
Doctors in Florida say a new stem cell treatment has been very effective in treating coronavirus.
Reports on Friday detail the treatment, which uses stem cells collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby. The patients treated with the cells had a 91 percent survival rate with faster recovery times.
According to experts, the cells share properties with treatments used to fight autoimmune diseases.
Umbilical cord blood and cord, collected in hospitals, are prepared for storage. (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Doctors called the treatment a “potential turning point”.
“These cells injected into the IV naturally come with a very simple procedure that does not require any invasive procedure,” said Dr. Camillo Ricordi, from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. “You can simply direct the transfusion to the lung. The cells go to the lungs and it was kind of an incredible result and we are very excited to move on to the next step. “
Doctors transfer a patient on a stretcher from an ambulance outside the Emergency at Coral Gables Hospital, where patients with Coronavirus are treated in Coral Gables, near Miami, Florida, on December 10, 2020. – The United States has registered more than 3,000 deaths by Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University count – the highest daily rate since April. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images)
Doctors said the use of cells from just one umbilical cord could create therapeutic doses for more than 10,000 patients.