Coronavirus pandemic | Plasma therapy comes to the rescue of a Delhi-based COVID-19 patient

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Plasma therapy has come to the rescue of a Delhi-based patient who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Admitted in Max Hospital in Saket, the 49-year-old became the first patient in India to be administered the breakthrough treatment and has reportedly been taken off ventilator support already.

He was admitted to the hospital on April 4 but his condition worsened and he was put on ventilator support from April 8.

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His family members requested the hospital authorities to administer plasma therapy after he stopped showing any signs of recovery. The family members themselves arranged for a donor, who had recovered from COVID-19 fully about two weeks ago.

The first patient who was administered Plasma Therapy on compassionate grounds at Max Hospital, Saket has shown positive results & was recently weaned off ventilator support. The patient is a 49-year-old, male from Delhi who had tested COVID positive on April 4th: Max Healthcare pic.twitter.com/7QHimVZ4J4

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He was eventually put off ventilator support on early on April 18, but Max Hospital is still providing him supplementary oxygen, while his heath is also being monitored closely.

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Commenting on how this case comes as a ray of hope, Sandeep Budhiraja, Group Medical Director at Max Healthcare, said it has opened up a new treatment opportunity. He added that the Centre must ensure that this treatment is accessible at all hospitals across the country. There should also be drives to raise awareness among patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus disease to donate more plasma voluntarily. Even if each donor gives 400 ml of plasma, it can be used to save the lives of two COVID-19 patients.

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