Surat: During the first wave of coronavirus, the Diamond City had set a sort of record for the highest donation of blood plasma in the state. But eight months later when the city is fighting the second wave of the pandemic, the blood banks in the city are struggling to stock up blood plasma.
Blood plasma is important for treating Covid patients through convalescent plasma therapy (CPT).
In August last year, blood banks could collect 455 units of blood plasma in just 36 days. Right now, four major blood banks including the one at New Civil Hospital and SMIMER Hospital have been appealing to citizens who have been cured of the virus to come forward and donate blood plasma as the demand has skyrocketed in the past few days.
Blood banks claim that the depleting stock of blood plasma is due to the shrinking donor pool. “As the number of cases between January and March had dropped, the number of donors has gone down. We get many inquiries on a daily basis, but we are not able to cater to all,” said Hari Kathiriya, president of Lok Samarpan Raktdan Kendra. He added that despite the shortage they are able to give six to seven units of blood plasma daily.
“Those donors who had donated during the first wave cannot donate now as it has been more than four months since they were cured. And those who were recently infected are yet to cross the 28-day threshold period to become eligible for donation,” said Dr Mayur Jarag, in-charge of the blood bank in NCH. He added that in the last 10 days against at least 20 inquiries for blood plasma daily, they are being able to collect only 50-55 units of apheresis plasma and whole blood plasma so far.
At SMIMER Hospital too, the stocks are drying up. “We ask patients’ kin for replacement when we give them blood plasma,” said Dr Ankita Shah, head of immunohaematology and blood transfusion department at SMIMER Hospital.