File Photo of COVID-19

The Australian State of Western Australia (WA) has upped funding to 12 local COVID-19 related studies, to help better tackle the global effects of the virus.

Officials announced on Monday that 1.9 million Australian dollars (1.24 million U.S. dollars) would be delivered in the form of research grants, with an additional 1 million Australian dollars (653,000 U.S. dollars) to be spent on research infrastructure.

Grants will go towards researching potential treatments, studies of at-risk groups, development of less invasive and more informative testing, and the study of mental health impacts -- while additional infrastructure will help cover the costs of consumables, staffing and site set-up for local COVID-19 research.

"The more research we can support, the closer we are to finding out more about this virus," WA Health Minister Roger Cook said.

"While enabling WA researchers to be part of the global search for COVID-19 answers, it will also give our patients access to potential new therapies and treatments."

One such potential therapy which received the funding is the transfusing of active COVID-19 patients with plasma from recovered cases.

In the absence of a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital respiratory specialists will investigate whether antibodies contained in donated plasma can prevent patients from deteriorating to the point where they need to be hospitalised.

"This project is a fantastic example of some of the innovative research underway across the WA health system," Cook said.