Plasma administered; recovery slow, steady

Khulbey developed a high-grade fever last Wednesday. His family, assuming he had the flu, gave him paracetamol.

By Thursday, he was coughing continuously and his breathing had become laboured. His son knew what this meant and rushed him to a government hospital.“at the hospital emergency room, they x-rayed his chest and said that he might have Covid-19. They asked us to take him to another Cghs-empanelled private hospital as they did not have a bed. At the private hospital, he was taken directly to the ICU (intensive care unit),” said his son Rohit Khulbey. His father has diabetes and hypertension, conditions that increase the risk of severe disease.

His father tested positive, was put on oxygen support, and was monitored by the doctors at the hospital. When his condition did not improve after three days, the doctors decided to administer plasma therapy. “The doctors told us that his oxygen saturation was just not increasing, so he needed plasma therapy. They asked us to start searching for a donor,” said Rohit.

At first, he called up several blood banks in the city before realising they do not keep convalescent plasma. He then found some websites that connected donors to recipients.

“But there is so much misinformation available on the web. Finally, I was able to get in touch with an NGO that helped me find a donor. The person travelled at night to ensure that my father received the plasma as soon as possible,” said Rohit.

Khulbey is recovering at the hospital. After he tested positive, 14 members of their joint family got themselves tested at a government rapid antigen testing centre. Eight members tested positive. The family has now isolated themselves in separate rooms.