STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Doctors at St. Luke's University Health Network tell Newswatch 16, true game changers for COVID-19 would obviously be a vaccine or a cure. Since neither of those exists at this time, the hospital has developed treatment protocols to help patients and have found some positive outcomes.
Monroe County now has 929 cases of coronavirus and 29 deaths.
St. Luke's University Health Network has seen a good number of those cases at its hospital near Stroudsburg.
Doctors are giving some insight into how they are treating patients.
"We've developed protocols that help prevent people from becoming that seriously ill and we are also actually very advanced in getting people who are on ventilators, off ventilators," said Dr. Jeffrey Jahre,
Throughout St. Luke's Health Network, more than 50 people have been taken off ventilators and 100 patients have been discharged.
Doctors continue to use medicine like hydroxychloroquine and immune modulators.
"We know that one of the big problems with this particular virus is what happens when the immune system gets fired up. That's what frequently causes the hurt of the destruction in the lungs. If we can prevent that from happening by using these immune modulators and anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids, then we are way ahead of the game."
Doctors have also found some success using blood plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19. The plasma contains antibodies that fight the virus.
An elderly man who was on a ventilator at St. Luke's Warren Campus for 20 days received a transfusion and is doing better.
"Can we be absolutely certain that it was this transfusion that was the magic answer? No, we can't. But I do think it is encouraging to see that and that's why a national study is going on. We are part of that study and are using it now in other patients."
Doctors are asking people who have recovered from COVID-19 and are feeling better, to contact your local blood bank and see if you're a good plasma donor. After all the screenings, if you're a good candidate, your blood plasma can help many patients.