US approves plasma to treat virus

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (AFP): The United States announced an emergency authorization to use blood plasma from recovered coronavirus patients as a treatment for the disease, which has killed more than 800,000 people around the world.

Many governments around the world are renewing efforts - including the reimposition of lockdowns - to contain the virus, which has infected well over 24 million people.

The United States remains the hardest-hit country with more than 176,000 fatalities, and President Donald Trump is under intense pressure to curb the contagion.

The plasma therapy shows "an incredible rate of success" and "will save countless lives", Trump claimed on Sunday - but that went much further than his own health officials' cautious welcome of the treatment.

Plasma is believed to contain powerful antibodies that can help fight COVID-19 faster, and has already been used on patients in the United States and other countries.