Plasma therapy may shorten duration of Covid, says expert

Hoshiarpur, September 25

“The data from small clinical trials have revealed that plasma therapy may lessen the severity or shorten the duration of Covid-19. More research is needed to determine and gather more evidence,” Dr Sachin Verma, diabetes and infectious disease specialist at Ivy Hospital said this during an online session. He said it was not the first time that plasma therapy had been recommended for treating viral infections. The list includes rabies, hepatitis B, measles, influenza, Ebola, and haemorrhagic fevers for which this treatment was recommended for.

Dr Sachin said, “The procedure takes about one to two hours to complete. This procedure is like blood donation wherein the blood groups and Rh compatibility is taken into account. One can donate or receive blood if and only if the blood group matches. The donor undergoes stringent examination and testing for certain mandatory factors including hepatitis, HIV, malaria, etc. to ensure that the unintended pathogen is not passed on to the receiver”.

“The blood is drawn from a previously infected but completely recovered patient and then the blood is processed to remove blood cells, leaving behind liquid plasma and antibodies. This plasma is injected into an infected person’s body that will fight the virus and neutralise it from spreading,” he added. — OC