The Health department is awaiting the Centre’s nod for setting up a convalescent plasma bank in the State even as the demand for plasma among COVID-19 recovered people continues to mount. Most requests posted on Twitter are by family members of patients admitted in corporate hospitals.
Plasma collected from patients who have recovered from the disease would be infused with antibodies to neutralise the coronavirus. It is expected that the procedure would bring down the mortality rate. However, its effectiveness as a treatment option is yet to be proved. As there is no vaccine to prevent or antiviral to treat the disease, convalescent plasma therapy is being considered a promising option.
In Telangana, it was first administered to patients at Gandhi Hospital, which received approval from Indian Council of Medical Research to conduct clinical trials on COVID patients. In fact, the first recipient of the plasma therapy recovered and was discharged in May-end. It is administered only to patients with moderate to severe infection. At least five more people were receiving the treatment there who recovered but their condition was being monitored in June as a caution. While the list of recipients is more, only 15 people donated their plasma.
The ‘Updated Clinical Management Protocol for COVID-19’ issued by the Union Health Ministry on July 3 lists convalescent plasma under ‘Investigational therapies’ based on limited evidence. Demand for plasma spiked in the city a few days thereafter.
Regarding status of pitch to establish a convalescent plasma bank in the State, provided there are donors, a top official said clarification from the Ministry of Health is awaited. As only 15 people have donated their plasma till date, doctors at Gandhi Hospital have been trying to convince more people to do so.
