Indian Delhi chief minister calls on COVID-19 recoveries to donate blood plasma

NEW DELHI - After achieving progress on the plasma therapy over the past couple of days, the Delhi government has decided to carry on giving the therapy to more COVID-19 patients who are seriously infected and admitted in intensive care units at various hospitals, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday.

The chief minister appealed to those who have recovered and been discharged from hospitals to come forward and donate their blood plasma in order to save other serious patients.

"Normally, the anti-bodies in the blood plasma retrieved from one (COVID-19) cured person can cure one serious patient, but in some cases it can be successfully given to two patients," Kejriwal said at a video conferencing.

"We will give the same therapy to a few more serious COVID-19 patients over the next couple of days," said Kejriwal.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi continues to remain the third most infected state in India, with a total of 2,376 positive cases and 50 deaths, and 808 patients have been successfully cured and discharged.