AIIMS, Rishikesh begins plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh on Tuesday began convalescent plasma therapy for coronavirus patients and a critical patient's condition began to improve within 12 hours of administering the treatment.

AIIMS, Rishikesh is the first hospital in Uttarakhand to begin plasma therapy.

The condition of a 41-year-old coronavirus patient at the facility worsened despite him undergoing a steroid therapy, but he began to show improvement within 12 hours of being administered convalescent plasma therapy, in-charge of COVID-19 cases at the medical facility, Prasanna Kumar Panda said.

Plasma therapy is highly effective in treatment of coronavirus patients, especially those who come to the hospital on time, that is, within three to seven days after getting the symptoms, he said.

Meanwhile, AIIMS, Rishikesh director Ravi Kant appealed to people cured of COVID-19 to donate their plasma and help save the lives of others suffering from the disease.

With the start of this therapy for the first time at any healthcare facility in Uttarakhand, people who have recovered from COVID-19 in the state can play a significant role in saving the lives of infected people who do not have the antibodies to fight the disease, he said.

The first group of interested plasma donors was informed about the process of plasma donation on July 24 and three units of convalescent plasma were obtained from them on July 27, July 29 and August 1, to be used for coronavirus patients, the director added.