Fight Against COVID-19: Delhi Gets Its Second Plasma Bank At LNJP Hospital

Plasma therapy has proven to be instrumental in curing COVID-19 patients, as it got a stamp of approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of United States. The process of plasma therapy involves transfusion of antibodies from a recently recovered coronavirus patient into a critical COVID-19 patient. As the cases of COVID-19 in Delhi continues to spike, the city has inaugurated the second plasma bank at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital on Tuesday (July 14).

The plasma bank was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal who said that the national capital was the first to inaugurate a plasma bank in the country and within days another plasma bank has been set up.

Also Read: Combating COVID-19: Centre Approves Pool Testing, Plasma Therapy For Maharashtra

Till the time there is no vaccine available for COVID-19, plasma works as an aid to save people’s lives. Plasma therapy has played a major role in lowering the death rate due to COVID-19 in the national capital, CM Kejriwal asserted.

The first plasma bank in Delhi was started on July 2 at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS).

The plasma therapy is based on the principle that the blood of a patient who has recovered from the COVID-19 is rich in antibodies – proteins produced by a human body. If the plasma from a recovered patient is transferred to a COVID-19 patient then it provides ammunition to the immune system to battle the coronavirus. 

Dr Ritu Saxena from LNJP hospital explains that owing to the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the second plasma bank was needed in Delhi. While LNJP hospital is the biggest COVID treatment centre in the national capital, it made perfect sense to start one here, she said.

One plasma bank was needed at LNJP as it is the biggest COVID hospital in Delhi. With this, patients will not have to run outside and we can give plasma to them here itself, Dr Saxena said. 

Also Read: Combating COVID-19: Patient Treated With Plasma Therapy In Delhi Recovers, Discharged

She further said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given the LNJP hospital approval to administer plasma therapy to 200 more patients.

Over 5,000 COVID-19 patients have gotTEN cured at LNJP. We will now approach them and urge them to donate plasma. The hospital will conduct their screening and then all those who meet the standards will be allowed to donate plasma, Dr Saxena said.

A separate entry point and a corridor have been kept for those who will arrive in the premises to donate plasma to ensure a hassle-free environment for the donors and remove all chances of spread of infection, she added. 

The people who are interested in donating plasma will be given a safe and conducive atmosphere to save more lives, Dr Saxena asserts. 

Also Read: Battling Coronavirus: After Going Through A Traumatic Experience To Find A Plasma Donor, Two Childhood Friends Come Up With A Website

Talking about the current status of COVID-19 in Delhi, CM Kejriwal while inaugurating the plasma bank pointed out that the number of positive cases per 100 has come down from 35 and is now fluctuating between seven and eight cases. When it comes to the death rate, he said, 

The death rate in the national capital has also reduced. In mid-June close to 101 deaths were reported on a daily basis but now that has come down to about 40 new deaths on a daily basis. However, we are trying our best to reduce it further.

Delhi has a total of 113,740 COVID-19 cases as on July 14, of which 19,017 are active cases, 91,312 patients have been cured or discharged and 3,411 persons have succumbed to the virus, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.