ICMR allows Plasma Therapy trial on COVID patients in Mumbai as cases continue to rise

In a major development on Wednesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research allowed the Maharashtra government to try 'Plasma Therapy' on COVID-19 patients in Mumbai, informed Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope. The financial capital of the country has been one of the worst-hit cities across the country with a total of 3754 positive cases being reported till the date. The move comes hours after the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) deployed by the Central Government visited hotspots in Mumbai and reviewed the situation. 

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Even though plasma therapy has not been recognised as a concrete treatment for the deadly virus, the therapy has shown effective results. ICMR had first allowed Kerala to carry out therapy results and then Delhi where a 49-year-old male had shown positive results after receiving the treatment and was weaned off ventilator support. Plasma Therapy involves transfusion of blood from an individual who has recovered from Coronavirus to a patient battling the virus, assuming that the blood of the recovered person might have developed antibodies to fight the virus. 

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Mumbai tops Coronavirus tally

The financial capital of the state has been the worst affected district in the entire country, registering over a hundred cases per day. BMC has set up 861 containment zones throughout Mumbai since the rise in the number of cases. With over 1 million people living in five square kilometre area, Dharavi is Mumbai's most densely populated area and has been under severe scrutiny - recording 189 cases with 12 deaths. The Centre's inter-ministerial team has visited several areas of Mumbai's containment zones and has recommended adding more isolation beds as the number cases rise in Mumbai.

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