York County man with COVID -19 receives experimental plasma treatment

Hide Transcript
Show Transcript

CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY. WADE YOUNG IS A FORMER MARINE, WHOSE WIFE SAYS WHEN PEOPLE MEET HIM, THEY LIKE HIM. DEB: HE’S SO GENEROUS AND HE’S VERY STRONG. SUSAN: THE 61-YEAR-OLD GRANDFATHER OF THREE NEEDS THAT STRENGTH NOW. HE IS IN YORK HOSPITAL FIGHTING COVID-19. DEB YOUNG TOLD ME SHE HAD TO LEAVE HIM THERE MORE THAN A WEEK AGO AFTER THIS HOME PULSE OXIMETER SHOWED HIS BLOOD OXYG IN THE LOW 80’ DEB: THAT WHEN YOU GET, THAT’S ALARMING WE WERE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER, BUT WE COULDN’T HUG OR KISS AND THEY TOOK HIM AWAY. SUSAN: DOCTORS EVENTUALLY PU WADE ON A VENTILATOR AND THEN GAVE HIM WHAT IS KNOWN AS CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY. THE PLASMA DONATED BY RECOVERED CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS IS INTENDED TO BOOST A PATIENT’S IMMUNE SYSTEM TO HELP THEM FIGHT THE VIRUS. DR. ABBAS: SO FAR WE GAVE IT TO FIVE PATIENTS I HAVE SEEN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ONE IS STILL CRITICALLY ILL. DEB: HE IS SLOWLY GETTING BETTER. SUSAN: DEB SAYS SHE WAS AMAZED AT HOW QUICKLY THE HOSPITAL WAS ABLE TO GET THE PLASMA AND GIVE IT TO WADE. WADE YOUNG HAS ALREADY SURVIVED CANCER AND HAS CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. HIS WIFE OF 36 YEARS IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS LATEST BATTLE. DEB: I HAVE CONFIDENCE HE IS GOING TO FIGHT THIS. IT WAS A MARINE. SUSAN: YOU SAID HE IS A FORMER MARINE. DEB: HE’S VERY STUBBORN, W