Bengaluru: To combat the unabated surge in COVID-19 cases, the Karnataka government announced the launch of Mission COPE (COVID Plasma Endeavour), and inaugurated state's first plasma bank at HCG Hospital on Tuesday. It was inaugurated by the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka C. N. Ashwathnarayan. Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament was the Guest of Honour.
COVID India Campaign, under the aegis of ICATT Foundation, launched Mission COPE to promote plasma donation among patients who have recovered from COVID-19. Several celebrities and hospitals have pledged their support for this timely campaign. Currently, India has only 4 to 5 plasma banks; the first was launched in the national capital earlier this month.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Vishal Rao, Regional Director - Head & Neck Surgical Oncology, HCG Global said, “As India registers over 1.5 million coronavirus cases and we continue to see persistent spikes of the pandemic in Bengaluru, we need to strengthen our fight against the tenacious virus. Plasma therapy has shown encouraging results in clinical trial settings, especially in critical COVID-19 patients. We need more people who have recovered from the infection to donate plasma so that we can save innocent lives. This is the time for us, as members of the human race, to join forces and defeat the virus that has taken the world hostage.”
Dr Shalini Nalwad, Director, ICATT Foundation further added, “When the crisis is unprecedented, our response has to be unequalled. The current scenario - where we are up against a disease with no cure or vaccine yet - calls for key collaboration and conversations. Over the last few weeks, many doctors across India have come forward to counsel patients, who have recovered from COVID-19, to donate plasma under this campaign. Doctors, researchers, and healthcare experts are doing their best to find solutions. However, they cannot do it alone. We all need to do our bit.”
Mission COPE campaign is headed by Dr Shalini Nalwad, ICATT Foundation Director, and her fellow Founder Volunteer at COVID India Campaign, Swadeep Pillarisetti. Dr Vishal Rao, associate dean of HCG, heads the clinical trial for plasma therapy at HCG Hospital.
About COVID India Campaign
COVID India Campaign is a pan India, volunteer-driven, disaster support task force started about four months ago to assist the Indian medical fraternity and society at large to cope with the COVID-19 crisis. Currently, the campaign consists of over 100 professionals from all walks of life, including critical care specialists, alumni from IITs and IIMs, CXOs and corporate leaders, 3D printers, medical suppliers, ventilator manufacturers, social workers, NGOs, startups, VCs, academia, and others.
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