Delhi to begin plasma treatment for severely-ill COVID-19 patients

New Delhi, Apr 16: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said Delhi will begin treating severely-ill COVID-19 patients with the plasma enrichment technique on trial basis after receiving permission from the central government.

Under this technique, antibodies from the blood of a person who has recovered from the novel coronavirus and transfuses the antibodies with a person who is critically ill, to help kickstart the immune system.

"Plasma therapy is a ray of hope," said Kejriwal.

This therapy was conducted in several other countries. Taking China into consideration, about 10 COVID-19 patients took up the convalescent therapy. In this treatment, the patients showed improve oxygen levels and a drop in the amount of virus in a person's body as a reaction.

How does Convalescent Plasma Therapy work?

According to the reports, the people who fought the COVID-19 virus, produce antibodies that are capable of attacking the virus. Later, the researchers take those antibodies and proteins that are secreted by immune cells known as B lymphocytes, are found in plasma, or the liquid part of blood that helps the blood clot when required and support immunity.

Once a patient who had the virus and recovered from the jaws of death, that patient develops antibodies that would stay in their blood waiting to fight the same virus again. By injecting those antibodies to another person with the disease, the antibodies would recognise the virus and begins to attack the virus.