Kerala awaits relaxation of blood donation norms to kickstart plasma therapy

Kerala becomes the first country to give a nod to conduct plasma therapy; the use of blood plasma to boost the immune systems of health-care providers, first responders and others who are at high risk of contracting the disease. It awaits the relaxation of blood donation norms to kickstart plasma therapy.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala became the first state in India to get a nod from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct plasma therapy to cure COVID-19. On this occasion, ETV Bharat speaks to Dr Asha of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology on the various aspects of plasma therapy and the way forward.

Transfusion department of the Sree Chitra Institute in the State capital will soon begin clinical trials on critically ill COVID-19 patients.

The convalescent plasma therapy is based on the inference that the antibodies isolated from the plasma of the patients who have completely recovered from COVID-19 infection can help improve the status of ill COVID-19 patients.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Asha, Director, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology said that Kerala got the approval to conduct a clinical trial on harvesting convalescent plasma using plasmapheresis.

Read:'We shall overcome': Kerala proudly announces to the world

According to reports, a cured person should test negative at least three times and should remain in isolation for 14 days before being eligible to give plasma. Then after 14 days, the blood is tested to find the antibody presence.

If it's above a certain level and the person is above 55 kilograms in weight, then 800 ml of plasma is separated and it's further split into 4 parts. Of this 200 ml is used to treat a patient whose condition is just turning serious.

"Plasma of people who have fully recovered from COVID-19 are collected through plasmapheresis. The stored plasma can be given to COVID-19 patients on a case-to-case basis," she said.

There are 80 people who tested positive for coronavirus and now negative. The antibody blood testing will be done at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in the state capital.

"We are now awaiting the approval of drug controller of India for relaxation of strict norms on blood donation," Dr Asha said.