Virus survivors refrain from donating plasma amidst surge in need

HYDERABAD:  Almost all plasma banks in Hyderabad, which can help Covid-19 patients get convalescent plasma therapy from the plasma donated by survivors of the virus, are running dry due to lack of donors. Urging more and more Covid-recovered people to turn up for donation, police, NGO workers and plasma bank officials state that the requirement for the same is multiple folds higher than that during last year. Even then, donors are refraining from coming forward due to multiple reasons. 

According to media reports, Telangana’s recovery rate is 86.16%, as against the national rate of 84.5%. “Despite the high recovery rate, plasma donors seem nowhere to be found. Why are people not donating plasma? Do they have no value for others’ life,” asks relative of a patient, who has been struggling to get a donor.There are around 20 blood banks in the city that are authorised to collect plasma and the situation in almost all these banks is horrendous. 

Speaking to Express, Dr Hitesh Kumar from Yashoda Hospital said, “When the pandemic had just hit us last year, there were less number of Covid cases, but more people used to turn up for the donation. Back then, among the 10 who show up, at least 60-70 per cent were able to donate plasma. Now, when cases are so high, fewer people are turning up for donation and among them, more than half are being found non-eligible. Only if more people turn up, will the chances of finding eligible donors go up.”

Meanwhile, the Rachakonda police officials, who work at the Covid control room, say that 50 per cent of the calls that they receive are enquiries related to availability of plasma. “We have a list of recovered Covid patients. However, no one has agreed for plasma donation,” officials said.

Narrating the apathy of Covid patients, Sai Teja, founder of Feed the Needy, an NGO which has been working on providing cremation facilities for Covid casualties, said: “People should come forward voluntarily. Recovered persons should remember that one can save at least two lives.”