Concerns grow about the Plasma shortage for Covid19 patients in Vadodara, 2.5% recovered patients donated plasma
There is a growing concern about the shortage of Plasma after major hospitals in Vadodara have started using Plasma therapy to treat Corona patients. As per the data by VMC, till 20th Sept, 8901 patients have recovered from Coronavirus but as per Dr. Vijay Shah MD, Indu Blood Bank, only 150 people have come forward to donate plasma.
Plasma from coronavirus survivors contain antibodies that offer protection against the virus when transferred to infected patients. The treatment called convalescent plasma therapy, is provided to those not responding to conventional treatment.
There is a sudden spike in demand of plasma to treat Corona Patients because now the therapy is recommended at early stage of treatment which earlier was recommended for only critical condition patients. “Plasma therapy has shown promising results during Swine Flu, Spanish Flu and other epidemic, now doctors treating COVID patients have also seen better results with Plasma therapy than other medicines” says Dr. Vijay Shah.
He added, “Most COVID-19 recovered patients hesitate to revisit hospital again for plasma donation due to fear and lack of awareness. We have to take many followups from even the patients who registered their names for plasma donation”
At SSG and Gotri GMERS Hospital, blood sampling is not done of COVID-19 patients before admitting them. Due to that no record is maintained of recovered patient’s blood group. Consequently, hospital administration are not able to reach out to recovered patients when plasma requirement arises.
The recovery rate of COVID positive patients in Vadodara is 84.29% out of which hardly 2.5% of patients have donated plasma. With more than 4000 samples tested daily, the number of new positive patients in Vadodara are increasing daily by 120 to 130. Till today 10559 patients are tested positive in the city out of which 8901 patients have recovered and discharged.
