4 COVID-19 patients 'recover' after plasma therapy in Indore

Indore, May 7 () Amid the ongoing debate in themedical fraternity about the efficacy of the plasma therapy onCOVID-19 patients, a private hospital in Indore has claimedthat four such persons recovered from the infection afterundergoing this therapy.

A district health official confirmed that plasmatherapy was used on some coronavirus positive persons at theprivately-run Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences(SAIMS), and said that as per the doctors at that hospital ithelped these patients in their recovery.

Talking to on Thursday, head of the Chest DiseaseDepartment at SAIMS, Dr Ravi Dosi, said that one of these fourpatients is a 26-year-old woman.

"According to the protocol set by the Indian Councilof Medical Research (ICMR) for the plasma therapy, we hadstarted clinical trial on the woman and three male patientsaged 23, 40 and 55 years from April 26. Now all four patientsare free of COVID-19 infection," he said.

Consent was obtained from all four patients prior tothe clinical trial of plasma therapy, he added.

Indore district's Chief Medical and Health Officer(CMHO), Praveen Jadia, said, "At SAIMS, the use of plasmatherapy was done on some COVID-19 patients and according tothe doctors there, it helped them in the recovery."

He said that plasma therapy would also be used on somecoronavirus positive patients at a government-run hospital inIndore soon.

"We hope that it would help the patients in theirrecovery," Jadia added.

Convalescent plasma therapy involves injectingpatients with plasma from people who have recovered fromCOVID-19 infection. The theory is that the plasma will havethe antibodies required to boost a sick person's immunityresponse to the coronavirus.

Dosi said that after treatment and plasma therapyunder the prescribed protocol, the repeat samples of fourpatients tested negative for COVID-19.

In addition, reports of the CT scan of their lungsalso confirmed that they have been free of coronavirusinfection, he added.

Dr Dosi, however, said, "We are not yet announcing anyresults regarding the effect of plasma therapy on COVID-19patients. We want to try this clinical trial on a few morepatients. We will share the results of clinical trial with theICMR."

He also said that more than 30 people who were freefrom the infection after treatment have expressed their desireto become plasma donors.

The experts said that the antibodies develop in theblood of the people fully recovered from COVID-19, which helpthem to fight the disease in the future.

Indore is among the worst-hit districts by COVID-19 inthe country.

As per the official information, 1,699 patients ofthis epidemic have been found in the district so far, of whom83 people have died during treatment, while 595 others havebeen discharged from hospitals after recovery. HWP ADU MASNP NP