COURTESY HT AUG 6
Gurugram’s Covid-19 plasma bank
SLOW START: Except for the five people who donated on centre’s inaugural day, recovered coronavirus patients have kept away from the city’s only plasma bank
A 37-year-old man who had recovered from Covid donates plasma at a blood bank on Pataudi Road in Gurugram. PARVEEN KUMAR/HT FILE
Archana Mishra
archana.mishra@hindustantimes.com
Gurugram : Despite having over 8,500 Covid-19 cured patients, Gurugram’s only plasma bank at the Rotary Blood Bank in sector-10 has received no donations since its inauguration on July 30, except for the five who did on that day.
Health officials said that problem was lack of awareness.
The convalescent plasma therapy involves injecting antibodies from a person who recovered from Covid-19 into one who required critical care.
Although experimental, the therapy has shown promise in helping people fight off the infection.
The bank was set up to provide easier access to plasma after many patients and their families reported that they could not find matching plasma. In private hospitals of the city designated for Covid-19 treatment, nearly 78 patients are admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) including 16 on ventilator support. It includes patients from Gurugram, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other states.
According to doctors at the blood bank, three people who had recovered from Covid-19 had approached to donate plasma, but did not fulfill the criteria.
“One was above the age limit of 60, while the other two had low prevalence of antibodies,” said Dr. Mahima Kilhor, medical officer at Rotary blood bank.
On inauguration day, the plasma bank collected 10 units of plasma -- one unit contains 200 ml of plasma --- from the five patients. The per unit cost was fixed at ₹8,500, but free for BPL card holders and pregnant women.
Of the 10, four were procured by patients admitted in private hospitals. “One unit of plasma collected from a single donor can be given to two patients. Since there has been no donation in the last one week, the bank is left with only six units,” said Kilhor, mentioning that it is seen that one unit of plasma is used for the treatment. In a few cases two units can be administered.
According to Kilhor, the plasma unit is provided only after detailed verification and a signed request from the authorised nodal officer of the hospital where the patient is undergoing treatment, along with the medical superintendent of the district health department.
Dr. Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, said they will work on increasing awareness. “Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material will be distributed by the Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) in areas falling under different primary heath care centres,” he said. “By next week, hoardings on plasma bank will be placed in 25 locations across the city. It will increase the footfall for the plasma donation.”
In various hospitals of Gurugram, at least 259 Covid-19 patients are undergoing treatment. It includes 78 patients of Gurugram, 27 from other districts of Haryana, 33 from Delhi, 79 from Uttar Pradesh and 42 from other states of the country. On Wednesday, the total count of the infected person reached 9398, with 64 new cases. Out of the total cases, 8548 have recovered from the illness and 725 are active. The Covid-19 toll stands at 125 as one death was confirmed on Wednesday