MP: Private hospital in Indore starts plasma therapy trials

A private hospital in Madhya Pradesh''s Indore city has started plasma therapy trials on three coronavirus patients, who are in serious condition, an official said on Monday.

Two doctors, who recovered from COVID-19 after treatment, came forward to donate their plasma (a component of blood) for these patients, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS) chest disease department head Dr Ravi Dosi told PTI. Indore has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot in the state. The district has so far reported 1,207 COVID-19 cases and 60 deaths.

"The plasma therapy has been started on three serious COVID-19 patients, including a woman, in our hospital. We are hopeful of positive results," Dosi said. The three patients are aged between 30 and 60 years, he said, adding the experiment may continue for next 14 days. The two doctors who have donated plasma became coronavirus-free after undergoing treatment at SAIMS, he said.

The official also informed that the two doctors do not work at SAIMS. One of the donors, Dr Izhar Munshi (54), said, "When I was asked to donate plasma, I immediately said yes. Only one sentence is echoing in my mind - Corona will lose, India will win." Munshi said he has obtained a list of 60 people from SAIMS who have recovered from the coronavirus infection, and will request them to donate plasma.

The other donor, Dr Iqbal Nabi Qureshi (39), a liver diseases specialist, said this was a small contribution from him in the battle against COVID-19. Qureshi, who recovered from the disease, said people need not panic as most patients recover from the infection after proper treatment. "However, it is a rapidly spreading disease. So, care must be taken for protection against it," he said.

Convalescent plasma therapy is an experimental procedure for COVID-19 patients. In this treatment, plasma from a cured COVID-19 patient is transfused to a critically ill coronavirus patient.

The idea behind the therapy is that immunity can be transferred from a healthy person to a sick patient using convalescent plasma. This therapy uses antibodies from the blood of a cured coronavirus patient to treat another critical patient. Several countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and the United States have also started plasma therapy trials.

READ: PM Modi-CMs' Covid Conference Attended By Mamata Banerjee; PM May Address In Next 4-5 Days