SHILLONG: State government has embarked on setting up its own plasma bank even as the High Court is seized of the matter after a PIL was admitted last week in this regard.
Not as an after-thought, but the plan was already afoot to create a plasma bank facility in the state as a long-term measure against fighting COVID-19, according to Health Commissioner Sampath Kumar.
Kumar disclosed that State Blood Transfusion Council has proposed setting up a plasma bank for patients that have recovered from Covid-19 and wish to donate their blood to help in the cure of other COVID patients.
The plan is to set up the plasma bank at Pasteur Institute and procurement of both machinery and technical manpower were underway. “Our State Blood Transfusion Council has been entrusted to work on this proposal,” Sampath Kumar said, adding that the exact estimate for the entire set-up is not yet ready but the state might need to invest anything between Rs 30 and 50 lakh.
As far as plasma donors are concerned, Kumar said that the state will not be short on donors since there are many recovered patients. “We have an opportunity with a large number of BSF personnel having recovered and other patient too. As of Aug 2, 264 patients have recovered of which upwards of 150 patients are from the BSF.
Kumar informed that NEIGRIHMS has a good set up and is already coming up with a plasma bank. “The state is actively considering this proposal to build the health systems for the long run,” he informed.
“We are dividing patients into four categories – mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe -for treating each category as required. Each category would have different treatment protocols,” adding that those with mild symptoms may not require medication because the body’s own immune system can fight the virus.
Convalescent plasma therapy involves transfusion of certain components (antibody) from blood of people who have recovered from a virus to people who are very sick and at high risk.
‘Plasma’ is the liquid component in the blood that carries antibodies, hormones and various nutrients across the body. Convalescent Plasma is the plasma collected from people who were infected and have made a complete recovery. These people develop antibodies which are of vital importance. Antibodies are proteins used by the body to fight off infections and thus provide immunity to those who have beaten COVID-19. The plasma of these patients is transfused into the blood of patients fighting COVID-19.
According to Dr Ingale, Director-Internal Medicine, Hiranandani Hospital Vashi, “While there isn’t sufficient data to back the efficacy of Convalescent Plasma Therapy it is reported to help patients who are at higher risk, such as those with co-morbidities like heart disease or diabetes, or those who have weakened immune systems.”
To a question of COVID-related death referred to as “Happy Hypoxia” where patients recovering from COVID-19 and who are already up and going, suddenly die due to low levels of oxygen in the body, Kumar said that the Medical Expert Team suggests that when oxygen levels in the body go below 94 (as measured by an oximeter), steroids like Dexamethasone are needed for patients to fight the restoration of their oxygen levels.
Dexamethasone has been used since for last six decades to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders, in the case of COVID, the inflammation of the lungs.
