Coronavirus outbreak: Delhi CM Kejriwal to set up plasma bank to treat COVID-19 patients

New Delhi, June 29: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that the Delhi government will get a plasma bank for the treatment of the novel coronavirus patients.

Addressing the media, CM Kejriwal said, "The plasma bank will start operation in the next two days. I appeal to Covid-19 recovered patients to donate their plasma."

The Chief Minister further went on to say that a shortage of plasma for the novel coronavirus therapy was seen, and to address the shortage, the government decided to set up a plasma bank.

He also said that the plasma bank will be set up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Delhi, which is not a COVID hospital.

Delhi Chief Minister urged those who have recovered from the deadly virus to come forward and donate plasma to help other COVID patients.

What is Plasma Therapy?

The convalescent plasma therapy aims at using antibodies from the blood of a recovered COVID-19 patient to treat those critically ill by the deadly virus. The therapy can also used to immunise those who are at a high risk of contracting the virus.

This therapy is simple and is based on the premise that the blood of a patient who has recovered from the coronavirus contains antibodies with the specific ability of fighting novel coronavirus. The theory is that the recovered patient's antibodies, once ingested into somebody under treatment, will begin targetting and fighting the virus in the second patient.