(Clockwise from Left to Right) Dr Iqbal Qureshi, Dr PS Thakur and Kapil Dev Bhalla speaking to ANI.
Indore, May 11, 2020: As plasma therapy is still in experimental stage and several states continue the trial of it for COVID-19, a doctor who donated his plasma after recovering from coronavirus and a plasma recipient who has recovered now have shared their experiences.
Kapil Dev Bhalla, a plasma therapy recipient, said, "I was admitted in Aurobindo Hospital wherein during my treatment for coronavirus the congestion in my chest was not getting cured despite several efforts. On April 26, I was told by Dr Ravi Dhosi that they are planning to administer plasma therapy on me. I gave them a thumbs up and within three days it worked on my body. I had received plasma from a doctor named Dr Izhar Munshi who had recovered from coronavirus."
He further said, "The congestion which earlier was getting cured in the extremely slow process got cleared within three days of getting plasma. I was taken off oxygen and then got discharged on May 6."
"I have already told the doctors at Aurobindo Hospital that I am ready to donate plasma whenever they want," he added.
Dr Iqbal Qureshi, a plasma donor, told ANI: "I was admitted in Aurobindo after I was tested COVID-19 positive. After I was discharged and completed 14 days of home quarantine, I received a call from Aurobindo Medical College, Indore asking me to donate plasma therapy. I immediately agreed."
"From my body, about 400 ml plasma was taken and it benefitted two patients. Hence, I urge people who have recovered from coronavirus to donate plasma," he added.
Meanwhile, Dr PS Thakur, Superintendent of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar Hospital, has warned people of getting excited over the plasma therapy. "Everyone should keep in mind that plasma therapy is still under trial. However, if the trial is successful then it will definitely give us a new medicine to treat coronavirus patients."