A plasma treatment is being trialled in the UK to treat coronavirus patients.

The trial takes blood from people who have survived the virus and developed antibodies.

The hope is the antibodies within the donated plasma will help fight the virus within a patient who is currently ill.

The US have already started the trial in more than 1,500 hospitals.

NHS Blood and Transplant said in a statement: "We envisage that this will be initially used in trials as a possible treatment for Covid-19.

"If fully approved, the trials will investigate whether convalescent plasma transfusions could improve a Covid-19 patient's speed of recovery and chances of survival. 

"All clinical trials have to follow a rigorous approval process to protect patients and to ensure robust results are generated. We are working closely with the government and all relevant bodies to move through the approvals process as quickly as possible."

The UK now has just over 120,000 confirmed cases and 16,060 deaths.