In positive news, a patient on the experimental plasma therapy has shown promising results and has been weaned off from ventilator support.
Delhi’s Max Hospital gave a 49-year-old male COVID-19 patient plasma treatment on compassionate grounds, according to the hospital Press release.
Convalescent plasma treatment is an experimental procedure for coronavirus patients. In this, antibodies from the blood of patients who have recovered from coronavirus are used to treat severely infected COVID-19 patients.
The patient received the treatment on 14 April and was off ventilator support by 18 April.
Max Hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Sandeep Budhiraja was careful not to attribute his recovery to plasma treatment alone, saying,
The man tested positive on 4 April and had moderate symptoms and a history of fever and respiratory issues. Soon his condition worsened and he required oxygen support. On 8 April he was put on ventilator support after he developed pneumonia with Type I respiratory failure.
His family requested plasma treatment when his condition did not get better. The family arranged a donor who had recovered from the infection three weeks ago and this was confirmed by two consecutive negative reports. They tested again at the time of donation and were clear of other infections like hepatitis B, C and HIV. The patient was given the plasma treatment on Tuesday, 14 April.
The patient made quick progress and did not require ventilator support by Saturday, 18 April, although he was still on supplementary oxygen support.
According to the hospital he is doing well and two consecutive COVID tests of his have come negative.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)