90% OF COVID-19 SURVIVORS REFUSE TO DONATE PLASMA

Even as Maharashtra has topped the list of most recovered patients, it seems the Covid survivors are in no mood to help the Maharashtra government to defeat the virus. This can be said so as despite promising to donate plasma for treating other Covid patients, only 10 per cent have turned up while the rest 90 per cent of the total 67,000 recovered have refused to step in for donating plasma.

Notably, the total number of recovered patients reached 67,706 on Monday. But unfortunately, only 180 of them have come forward and donated their blood for the convalescent plasma therapy.

According to doctors, these Covid survivors while getting discharged usually promise to donate their blood. But when they are contacted, almost 90 per cent turn a deaf ear to the civic authorities.

Convalescent plasma therapy involves transfusion of plasma from the blood of recovered patients into those who are moderately or critically-ill. The plasma of the recovered patient contains antibodies that fight the infection.

Doctors said there are many factors due to which recovered Covid patients refuse to donate or come forward for convalescent plasma therapy. Moreover, it is a voluntary donation which cannot be forced for doing it. “Recovered Covid patients do not want to recall their past due to which they fear to come forward, they are still not mentally prepared for doing so. It is also learnt that most of the patients provide wrong numbers so that we do not bother them,” said Dr Mohan Joshi, in-charge of BYL Nair Hospital.

Recently, 21 medical colleges across Maharashtra have received approval to conduct clinical trials to assess the efficacy of plasma therapy in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. In Mumbai, the trials will be conducted at Grant Medical College, Topiwala National Medical College at BYL Nair Hospital, KEM Medical College, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College at Sion and Cooper Hospital Medical College.

It is not scientifically proven that plasma therapy can cure Covid-19 but it is being used as an experimental procedure for treatment. Many countries like the US, China and Spain, Turkey, South Korea, Italy and the United Kingdom are using it as a stopgap measure.