The Delhi government will create a plasma bank to fight coronavirus, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said this afternoon, urging those who have recovered from the infection to donate plasma to help other patients. He also assured that the state government will arrange conveyance to the plasma bank for those willing to donate.

 

 

“The plasma bank will start operation in the next two days. I appeal to Covid-19 recovered patients to donate their plasma,” Delhi Arvind Kejriwal said.

 

The Delhi CM said a shortage of plasma for the Covid-19 therapy was seen. To address this shortage, the government decided to set up a plasma bank, Arvind Kejriwal said.

 

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal added that the plasma bank will be set up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Delhi, which is not a COVID hospital.

 

Arvind Kejriwal also urged those who have recovered to come forward and donate plasma to help other patients.

 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that the plasma bank will come up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in south Delhi in 2-3 days.  “We have been receiving a lot of calls asking for plasma donors… people have been struggling. In view of the rising demand, we have decided to come up with a plasma bank,” Kejriwal said at a media briefing, urging people to come forward to donate plasma.

 

The ILBS is among the medical institutes that got approval in mid-April to conduct plasma therapy.

 

Convalescent plasma therapy involves injecting patients with plasma from people who have recovered from the infection, and whose bodies have, therefore, generated the antibodies required to fight the novel coronavirus. This is different from plasma exchange therapy, wherein the plasma is removed from a sick patient and replaced with plasma from a healthy donor.

 

 

The chief minister mentioned Delhi has conducted 29 clinical trials of plasma therapy and the results have been encouraging. 

He also said of the 35 patients, who received the therapy at the LNJP Hospital, 34 have recovered, and, of the 49 patients, who received it at a private hospital, 46 have recovered.

 

“If you go there (plasma bank) to donate, there is no risk. We will arrange a conveyance for you to go there and donate. We will announce numbers in a few days for this system,” Arvind Kejriwal also added.

 

He said that a helpline will be set up by the government for queries related to the donation of plasma.