Nagpur: The country’s first RBD Plasma Bank and RBD-Coronavirus Antibody Testing Centre set up at Lifeline Blood Bank in the city is facing acute shortage of donors with demand surging to 50 bags per day.
Its medical director Dr Harish Warbhe told TOI that the therapeutic effectiveness of RBD plasma has made it popular and he has been receiving requisitions from Central India as well as far off places like Kolkata.
Dr Warbhe said after 14 days of asymptomatic phase, a recovered Covid patient can donate convalescent plasma as long as the RBD antibody level is high in the blood.
Initially, a four months cap was placed on plasma donation for recovered eligible donors, as per traditional blind plasma therapy.
Now, they have apparatus to check RBD antibody level before each plasma donation. “If RBD antibody level is good up to six months, there is no harm in donation. If antibodies deplete within two months, then donation should be stopped,” he said.
Dr Warbhe said the harvested plasma must benefit the patient. He agreed that some recovered patients carry antibody for a longer phase than expected.
While in India a gap of 14 days is given before next donation, it is done in the US and Canada more frequently. “In these countries, 700ml plasma is harvested every 7 days. Hence, it is 100% safe as far as health of donor is concerned,” said Dr Warbhe. The age of donor too has been extended up to 65 years from 60 earlier.
According to Dr Warbhe, more people are coming for donation due to increased awareness.Though Covid cases have declined and less patients are in critical stage, the plasma being harvested can be preserved for up to one year,” he said.
Dr Warbhe said, “Plasma therapy should be first line of treatment. Plasma is 100% anti-viral specific therapy. It must be given in early phase which is golden time in the therapy.”
Regarding shortage, Dr Warbhe said clinicians who are aware of the RBD plasma are going for it.
He said, “There was no kit to test the antibody and hence old traditional blind plasma therapy was used. After setting up the RBD Plasma testing kit, I harvested plasma from among known recovered patients and administered it to known patients. We got wonderful result in each patient.”