Plasma therapy: Getting donors is challenging, say officials

Even as Indian Council of Medical Research has allowed plasma rapy for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai on an experimental basis, challenge is to convince people to donate blood for it, officials said on Thursday.

Also, extracting plasma from blood, its testing and n ministering it to a patient is a complicated procedure and t as simple as it may appear on paper, y said.

" rapy involves extraction of plasma from blood of recovered COVID-19 patients. se people are expected to have good amount of anti-bodies, which, by way of plasma, will be ministered to COVID-19 patients," a senior epidemiologist from Maharashtra health department said.

dose of plasma along with ongoing medication will help patient to build immunity as well as recover faster from infection, he said.

However, a Mumbai civic official said till Tuesday, only a couple of persons came forward to donate blood for rapy, even as nearly 500 people have so far been discharged in city after recovering from disease.

"We need to convince m to come forward and help ors. After recovering, people have to remain in 14-day mandatory home quarantine from date of discharge. Hence, it is difficult to collect ir blood sample," he said, ding that medically also it is t visable.

official said plasma rapy is a complicated procedure and t as simple as it may appear on paper.

" extraction of plasma, and its testing is crucial before treating ors. It should also have sufficient anti- bodies," he said.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said state has received permission from Indian Council of Medical Research to carry out plasma rapy on COVID-19 patients in Mumbai on an experimental basis.

" plasma of those who have recovered from coronavirus infection has some antibodies. If se people''s plasma is used with utmost precaution, it has proven to be useful," he said.