Bengaluru: Plasma therapy is slowly but surely emerging as the best treatment to treat Covid-19 patients. 

He said in this regard, "Two patients were given plasma on Tuesday, while two were given the therapy on Thursday. The two patients who received plasma on Tuesday have shown improvement.

He further added, "Next week, we will seek central government permission to try the therapy on all the serious corona patients in Delhi.” 
What is Plasma therapy? 

In simple terms, Convalescent Plasma Therapy can be thought of as a technique in which the components of blood of a person who has just recovered from COVID-19 are given to those who are sick or those at high risk of contracting the same virus. It is done thru blood transfusion.

Well, the immune system of those who have just recovered from COVID-19 produces antibodies that fight the virus. These antibodies are found in the plasma or liquid part of the blood and are produced by immune cells known as B lymphocytes. It also helps the blood clot and increases immunity.

These antibodies stay in the plasma ingredient of the blood and are always ready to take on the virus if they reappear.

So when these antibodies are transfused to another individual who has COVID-19, he too can fight the disease with the help of the antibodies transfused into his body.

Recently, Indian Council for Medical Research gave its approval for a protocol submitted to it for the same by a task force of doctors and scientists by Kerala.

Meanwhile, experts are also counselling those recuperated patients if they are willing to donate their blood the same.

Reports, at this point, add that results from 10 severe adult cases showed that one dose of 200 ml was well tolerated to increase or maintain antibodies at a high level which could kill virus in seven days.

By the way, this treatment is not a new one. It has been used earlier as well. It was used during the SARS and MERS epidemics.

Presently, as the project has been taken up on an experimental basis, it would be taken up as a research project.