Blood specialist urges Pakistanis who beat coronavirus to donate plasma

National Institute of Blood Diseases head Dr Shamsi has once again appealed to the 6,500 people who have recovered from the novel coronavirus in Pakistan to donate their blood and help save the lives of others who have contracted the virus.

In a video message issued on Friday, the blood disease specialist said donors in Karachi can head to the NIBD for donations and those in other cities can approach nearby medical facilities.

“Coronavirus infections and deaths are spiking across the country,” he said. “The greater the donors, the more will be the number of lives saved.”

The plasma extracted from their blood will be infused to those who are presently fighting the virus and in critical condition. Experts believe the plasma has antibodies that can help fight the virus and the plasma of one healthy donor can be infused to at least two patients.

This process of passive immunisation or plasma therapy officially kicked off on Wednesday when an elderly patient from Sanghar became one of Pakistan’s first experiments treating COVID-19 using plasma therapy.

He was administered the therapy at Civil Hospital, Hyderabad. The hospital MS confirmed that the patient’s health improved after the transfusion of plasma.

Before the procedure, the patient was in critical condition and was having trouble breathing after which he was put on a ventilator.

from Coronavirus – SAMAA https://ift.tt/3bdJIMK