Published On : Fri, May 1st, 2020

Maha’s 1st COVID patient on plasma therapy dies

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A 53-year-old male patient, the first to undergo plasma therapy in Maharashtra passed away on 29th April, Dr Ravishankar, CEO Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai says.

The Union health ministry has maintained that plasma therapy for treatment of coronavirus patients is at an experimental stage and it has the potential to cause life-threatening complications.

The comments by the ministry came in the midst of hope that plasma therapy could provide a possible cure from the coronavirus infection.

The ministry said the therapy is at an experimental stage and that there is no evidence yet to support that it can be used as treatment for COVID-19.

It is not immediately clear what prompted the government to strongly recommend against plasma therapy for the COVID-19 patients.

On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke about the success of Delhi’s first case of plasma therapy and appealed to all people who have recovered from COVID-19 to come forward and donate plasma for the virus-infected patients.

Following the appeal, a number of people who contracted the virus during the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the capital and recovered from it pledged to donate plasma for the treatment of other patients.

Till the effectiveness of this mode of treatment is scientifically proven, its application except for research and clinical trial is illegal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said at a media briefing.