Arvind Kejriwal urges recovered COVID-19 patients to donate blood plasma to save lives

New Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Dr SK Sarin, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences on Friday requested the recovered coronavirus patients to donate blood plasma so that the critical patients can be saved from organ failure.
'Central government had given us permission only for limited trials of plasma therapy on serious patients at LNJP hospital. In the next 2-3 days, we will conduct more trials & then we will seek permission next week, for all the serious patients,' Kejriwal said.
"As there is no vaccine yet to treat the coronavirus patients, the government and the doctors are working hard to bring in a treatment to prevent the deaths of coronavirus infected patients," said Dr Sarin, spearheading the trial process in Delhi, during a video-conference.
He further said, "At this time, we need those people who have recovered from COVID-19 and are at their homes. We need them to show their patriotism and donate blood plasma."
Explaining about the plasma therapy that is given to the critical patients, the ILBS Director said, "Bodies of people who recover from coronavirus produce an anti-body/plasma in the blood to help the person fight against coronavirus. If a little bit of this anti-body/plasma is given to a critical patient then the plasma helps in the latter person's recovery."
'We are happy with the positive results in the 4 patients. Blood & plasma is ready for 2-3 other patients that we have at LNJP hospital, we may give them the plasma therapy today,' he said.
He, however, said that the plasma therapy can only be given to patients who have not yet been put on a ventilator.
"There are three stages of the coronavirus. In the first stage, the person is hardly diagnosed with the disease. In the second stage, the infected patient develops breathing problems as the lungs started to get affected. In the third stage, the person is put on a ventilator," he said.
It is the second stage when the plasma therapy can be given to the coronavirus infected patient, he added.
Speaking about the difference between blood donation and plasma donation, the Director said, "When a person donates blood he/she has to wait for 3 months to do another donation. Further, some of them might face weakness after the blood donation. However, in plasma donation, the machine draws little bit plasma from the blood and then the blood is sent back into the donor's body."
He further said, "The major difference between plasma donation and blood donation is that a person can again donate plasma after 10 days and never feels any kind of weakness after each donation."
Besides, as the plasma therapy is an inexpensive treatment it has given a ray of hope in this time of crisis, he added.
Till now, about 4 patients in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital has been given the plasma therapy, of which two have almost fully recovered.
During the conference, Arvind Kejriwal said that the plasma therapy trial in LNJP hospital has till now given encouraging results and the government is likely to ask the Centre's permission to give the therapy to all critical COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals. (ANI)