After Delhi, now Mumbai got permission to use Plasma Therapy for Covid-19
Last updated on February 9th, 2023 at 01:33 pm
Maharashtra State, at present, is the worst-hit state in India with 5,652 coronavirus positive cases and 269 deaths reported. On April 22, around 778 confirmed cases were recorded in 24 hours. Maharashtra has requested authorization from ICMR to utilize plasma therapy for Covid-19 patients as it was found effective in Delhi.
On April 4, a 49-year-old man was admitted at Max Healthcare Hospital in Delhi for Covid-19. He had moderate symptoms marked by fever and respiratory issues; however, following a couple of days, his condition deteriorated. He developed pneumonia with Type I respiratory failure and was immediately placed on a ventilator. The patient’s family requested plasma therapy on compassionate grounds and this was the first time in India that a Convalescent Plasma Therapy was being utilized on a coronavirus positive patient. It demonstrated positive outcomes as the patient was out of a ventilator within four days.
Researchers and scientists are investigating different ways to find a cure to battle the novel coronavirus. One such preventive treatment is Convalescent Plasma Therapy. The plasma therapy focuses on utilizing antibodies from the blood of a recovered Covid-19 patient and treats other infected coronavirus patients. The procedure can likewise be used to immunize those who are at a higher vulnerability of contracting coronavirus, e.g., family members of Covid-19 patients, healthcare professionals, and quarantined contact traces.
Read: IIT Delhi develops low-cost COVID-19 testing kit, gets ICMR approval
When the patient has recouped, they donate their blood with the aim that their antibodies could help treat other Covid-19 positive cases. The donated blood is later checked for diseases like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, and so forth. If tested safe, the blood is then processed via machine to extract ‘plasma,’ the fluid part of the blood that contains antibodies. The antibody-rich plasma is then transfused into the body of a patient under treatment.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has permitted Maharashtra to practice plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai on an experimental basis, Health Minister of Maharashtra, Rajesh Tope stated. It would be great if the plasma therapy is proven useful in treating severe coronavirus cases that are under a ventilator, he included.
Article Credit: Financial Express/LiveMint/NDTV/ICMR
