Fighting COVID-19, Noida cops step up for plasma donation

Noida (UP), Jul 7 () Police personnel in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar, which has recorded the maximum COVID-19 cases in the state, have stepped up to offer their blood plasma for treatment of coronavirus patients, officials said Tuesday.

There are currently 19 police personnel in the district who are undergoing treatment for the COVID-19. The disease has claimed the life of one policeman, the officials said.

So far, 50 policemen have tested positive for COVID-19 in the district and 30 of them have been discharged after treatment, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Noida, Ankur Aggarwal said.

"Several of our colleagues got infected with COVID-19 and many of them have now expressed their willingness to donate their (blood) plasma," Aggarwal, also the district police's nodal officer for COVID-19, said.

"There is a rule that a person can donate their plasma only after 28 days of recovery in order to help people fight coronavirus. In next three-four days, some of our personnel will complete the mandatory 28 days and make the plasma donation," the officer said, lauding his colleagues for going beyond their call of duty.

The ADCP, however, told that the number of personnel making the donation would be confirmed only after their medical check-up by experts.

Technically called "convalescent plasma therapy", the treatment aims at using the immune power gained by a recovered person to treat a sick person, according to a statement of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), the apex biomedical research body in India, has also approved of the therapy for the treatment of COVID-19.

Gautam Buddh Nagar, adjoining Delhi in western UP, has so far recorded 2,831 positive cases of COVID-19, including 28 deaths, while there are 1,041 active patients, according to latest available official figures. KIS AAR AAR