Kanika Kapoor offers her plasma for Covid-19 patients

Yusra Husain | TNN | Apr 27, 2020, 17:44 IST

Kanika Kapoor

LUCKNOW: Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor on Monday approached Lucknow's King George's Medical University (KGMU) offering to donate her plasma for treatment of other Covid-19 patients.
The singer who had hogged limelight after being found coronavirus positive on March 20, had been admitted at PGI Lucknow and on April 26 completed 21 days of home quarantine following three consecutive negative tests of Covid-19.
On Monday, the singer called up head of transfusion medicine department, Prof Tulika Chandra and volunteered to help.
"She called around 3pm and said she really wanted to help other Covid-19 patients. Vice Chancellor Prof MLB Bhatt has given a go ahead on it and we will now be carrying out the tests on her to see if she is fit to donate her plasma," said Prof Chandra.
As per experts, as is done with all volunteers of plasmapheresis, Kanika's sample will be tested for a number of things before she can donate the plasma.
These include that the haemoglobin level be above 12.5, weight more than 50kg, the patient should not have diabetes, cardiovascular issues, malaria, syphilis and the likes.
After Kanika's sample is taken on Monday itself and found to be eligible, she could probably be donating her plasma with antibodies against Covid-19 on Tuesday.
Kanika had on April 26 come out with a statement clarifying her travel and Covid-19 history declaring that she was aware of misconceptions and wrong information floating around her but she chose to remain silent until ready to speak.
Kanika in her social media post had said that all persons she came in contact with in UK, Mumbai and Lucknow had all been tested negative and that she had duly followed the process.
KGMU on Sunday night, made the first plasma transfusion in a 58 year old patient from Orai--a government doctor whose condition was critical. On Monday afternoon, the patient was said to be responding well to the transfusion.
The university has up until now received three plasma donations from fully recovered Covid-19 patients, two from doctors and one from a Lakhimpur man.