There is some good news amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The first-ever plasma therapy experiment on a COVID-19 patient in Mumbai has been successful. Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope, on Wednesday, said, "The first experiment to use plasma therapy for treating a COVID-19 patient has been successful in Maharashtra."
Talking to the reporters, Tope stated that the first plasma therapy had been successfully conducted in Mumbai at Lilavati Hospital. He further added that the government now plans on carrying out a second experiment on another patient in BYL Nair hospital.
"We are hopeful that it will be successful as well," he said.
In this treatment, plasma, a blood component, from a cured COVID-19 patient is transfused to a critically ill coronavirus patient. This therapy utilises the antibodies available in the human blood, especially in patients who have recovered from the infection.
However, since this is NOT the actual treatment for the virus and has not been tested for its efficiency, the ICMR and public health officials have also advised other centres to avoid this mode of treatment.
The Union Health Ministry also has stated that the plasma therapy should not be used as a treatment against COVID-19 since there is no proof yet that it works and without following due procedure, it could lead to life-threatening complications.
Countries like the US and China have used this in the past for several other critical conditions. Along with these two and India, other nations like Spain, Italy, UK, and Turkey are also experimenting with this treatment for coronavirus.
So far six people have donated their plasma for this treatment. The first patient to get treatment via plasma therapy was in Lilavati Hospital. Rajesh Tope while addressing the media also shared that the second experiment on another patient in BYL Nair hospital, in Mumbai is also on the cards. Wockhardt which resumed operations on April 28 is also expected to start a controlled trial of plasma therapy on 20 patients.
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