New Delhi: The nationwide tally of confirmed coronavirus infections crossed 30,000 on Tuesday and the death toll was seen inching towards 1,000 with Maharahstra, Gujarat and some other states reporting more fatalities, but hopes for any immediate cure were dashed after the Health Ministry said there is not enough evidence as yet to back plasma therapy as its treatment.
The Ministry also cautioned there could be life-threatening complications if proper guidelines are not followed in administering the plasma therapy, in which blood plasma is transfused from a recovered COVID-19 patient to a critically-ill person.
The therapy, which is currently in trial stage, works on a principle that immunity can be transferred from a healthy person to a sick patient using antibodies in convalescent plasma.
As per the latest figures announced by various states and union territories, more than 30,200 people have been tested positive for this deadly virus across the country. At least 947 have died, but more than 7,000 have recovered.
The figures suggest that an average of about one in 25 has tested positive so far. Among those having tested positive, one in 30 has died on an average, while the ratio of those having recovered is approximately one in four. There has been a widespread hope that plasma therapy can be a possible treatment for COVID-19 after the Delhi government said it has seen encouraging results on some patients, while few other states including Rajasthan and Karnataka have also begun the trials.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials on Tuesday itself to encourage use of plasma therapy, while steps are already underway at various places to create ‘plasma banks’. Several people who have recovered after contracting the virus have offered to donate their plasma for treatment of others.
At his daily press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched a national-level study to check efficacy of the plasma therapy, but till this study is completed and a robust scientific proof is available, this therapy should be used only for research or trial purpose.
“If plasma therapy is not used in a proper manner under proper guidelines, then it can also cause life threatening complications,” Agarwal said.
The Health Ministry official, however, said the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients has as such improved to 23.3 per cent of total cases. In its 5 PM update, the Ministry said the COVID-19 death toll has risen to 937, after more than 50 deaths since Monday including in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir, while the number of cases has climbed to 29,974.
According to the ministry data, 1,594 new cases have been reported since Monday evening.
The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 22,010, while 7,026 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.
However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various states and UTs, as of 8 PM, showed 30,255 confirmed cases, including 947 deaths and 7,078 recoveries.
A 55-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel also died on Tuesday due to coronavirus infection.
This is the first COVID-19 death reported in paramilitary forces that function under the Union Home Ministry for upkeep of internal security and border guarding. (PTI)
