Only 224 recovered Covid-19 patients donated plasma at 60 blood banks in Maharashtra

Despite more than 190,000 Covid-19 patients in the state having recovered from the infection, donation of blood plasma for use in convalescent plasma therapy (CPT)

Despite more than 190,000 Covid-19 patients in the state having recovered from the infection, donation of blood plasma for use in convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) has been poor.

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CPT uses plasma from recovered persons to treat critically-ill Covid patients.

Data from the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) shows that 60 blood banks across Maharashtra have recorded only 224 donations — an average of four donations per blood bank — since April.

Individuals infected with the Sars-Cov-2 virus develop antibodies that invade pathogens and work to eliminate the novel coronavirus from the body. During CPT, the antibodies of a recovered patient are infused into the blood of Covid-19 patients, to help fight the virus.

Despite ongoing clinical trials of CPT for Covid-19 patients, and recent regulations allowing its off-label (outside clinical trials) use in emergency cases, treatment has been limited owing to the unavailability of viable plasma. Blood plasma shortage has also led to its illegal sale.

To address this issue, SBTC, following directives from the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC), has instructed blood banks extracting plasma for CPT, to submit their data to centralise the information. “As plasma is a component of blood, we have to maintain centralised data on it, similar to that for blood donation,” said Dr Arun Thorat, in-charge of SBTC.

Dr Mohan Joshi, dean of Nair Hospital, said, “We have the list of patients and we call them after 14 days of getting discharged. If we call 100 people, only 10 come to the hospital. After screening, only one or two fit the criteria to donate blood.”

Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said that more than 25 critically-ill Covid patients underwent plasma therapy in Mumbai. “Minus one death, all have recovered. The state Covid-19 task force has also suggested more focus on CPT since it has been fruitful so far,” he said.

Doctors, however, have highlighted the need for more clarity on the treatment protocol. Dr Kedar Toraskar, a member of the state’s Covid-19 task force, said, “As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) rules, a recovered patient needs to have a high level of antibodies in his blood to be eligible to donate. But the concentration of antibodies often fails to meet the parameters, and we have to turn away some donors.”