Addressing an online media briefing, Kejriwal said that there has been a major spike in demand for plasma over the past 4-5 days, after the opening of the country’’s first plasma bank in Delhi.

“The number of plasma donors is less, while the number of people demanding plasma is huge. If it continues, the stock of plasma at the plasma bank will finish soon. “I request recovered coronavirus patients to come forward and donate their plasma in large numbers,” he said.

Kejriwal said his teams were also contacting such people and requesting them to donate plasma to save the lives of COVID-19 patients. Last week, the government had set up the plasma bank at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). “I also appeal to all hospitals to counsel their COVID-19 patients for five minutes to donate their plasma after 14 days of recovery from the disease,” he said. Plasma is effective in reducing the risk of death, he said.

Kejriwal also said that authorised helpline numbers of all COVID hospitals in the city are being reflected in the Delhi Corona’ mobile application, an official statement said on Monday. The development comes after the Delhi government received many complaints from citizens that helpline numbers of these hospitals remained unreachable most of the time, it said. Taking cognisance of the matter, Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, who is also handling the health portfolio, directed all COVID hospitals of the city to make authorised helpline numbers.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, who recovered from COVID-19 last month, donated plasma on Monday. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have given party workers the mantra of ‘seva bhav’ (service).

Inspired by it, I took blessings of our president J P Nadda and donated plasma today. Request all those who suffered from COVID and have regained fitness to donate plasma,” Patra tweeted.

Patra also posted pictures of his meeting with Nadda before going to donate plasma at a hospital.

The BJP spokesperson had contracted the virus a few weeks back and was hospitalised for some days at a private facility in Gurgaon.