PlasmaTherapy – A new hope

Delhi’s health minister Satyendar Jain said on Saturday four patients of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), who were treated with plasma therapy, have almost recovered, news agency ANI reported. Convalescent plasma therapy uses a blood component called plasma, which contains the virus-fighting antibodies, from people who have recovered from the infection to treat those who are severely ill with Covid-19. Plasma is the almost-clear liquid left behind after red and white blood cells and platelets are removed from the blood.

“We have administered plasma therapy to six patients in Delhi, so far. Four patients were given the therapy four days back,” Satyendar Jain was quoted as saying by ANI.

“Those who were administered four days back have almost recovered. All of them were critical patients and results are very encouraging,” he said. Before this, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had urged people who have recovered from Covid-19 in the city to donate plasma to treat people in hospital with severe forms of the infection.

“The initial results are very promising and I would request those who have recovered from corona infection to come and donate their plasma,” Kejriwal said during a press conference through video conference on Friday.Lok Nayak Hospital is the first Delhi government hospital to administer the therapy.

Plasma therapy trials are also being conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in Delhi.Privately-run Max Hospital in Saket also administered the therapy to a Covid-19 patient on ventilator support on compassionate grounds, who was later weaned off ventilator support and is improving.

Among other centres, the trials are underway at the Department of Biotechnology’s Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Kerala, which was the first to start them, and King George Medical University, Lucknow, where they started on Friday.Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu on Saturday initiated Phase I of the clinical trials to use plasma therapy for Covid-19 patients at Bengaluru-based BMC Victoria Hospital.