Plasma therapy works on two Covid-19 patients in Jaipur, says top doctor

Yash Goyal

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, May 6

Two critically ill elderly patients of Covid-19 have recovered after receiving plasma therapy at the SMS Hospital and Medical College here, its top official said on Wednesday.

The two patients, a man and a woman, would be discharged in a couple of days, Dr Sudhir Bhandari, principal of the SMS Medical College and chief of therapy procedure, told The Tribune.

There is a queue of critical patients who need this treatment on top priority and there are a number of donors too, Bhandari said.

The state government recently got the ICMR's nod to start plasma therapy for the coronavirus patients. The SMS Medical College and Hospital had already started it on a trial basis and had informed the ICMR. Delhi, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh have also reportedly started this kind of treatment.

People who've recovered from Covid-19 have the antibodies to fight the disease in their blood. Doctors call this convalescent plasma. Researchers hope that convalescent plasma can be given to people with severe Covid-19 to boost their ability to fight the virus.