Ahmedabad: Amdavadis form lifeline for plasma seekers

AHMEDABAD: Over the past few weeks, volunteers groups -- citizens from all walks of life -- have launched themselves on social media groups connecting blood plasma donors and relatives of Covid-affected patients. Convalescent plasma treatment may have been put in the back burner, but if volunteer and banker Bhavik Rajpurohit is to be believed some 78 patients have already been connected with plasma donors by a team of volunteers he belongs to, which includes a central government employee Pruthvish Pandya, Prajesh Bharwad and a wildlife photographer Zubin Ashara.
“On Thursday alone, I got 110 calls for patients seeking plasma from people who have recovered from Covid. We try connecting the patients with a haematologist and a general physician who make it possible.”
Vijay Patel from Naroda, who had been organising blood collection drives for 22 years, receives 90-odd calls a day. He has arranged for plasma from those who have recovered Covid for 105 current patients. “I have given my contact details on Twitter and all social media platforms and I can be contacted 24x7. I feel convalescent plasma is working for people who have just been administered the first dose of remdesivir or a day earlier.”
In fact, those who had recovered from Covid can donate their plasma 28 days after they test negative or after their Covid vaccination. Dr Ripal Shah, medical director at Prathama blood bank, says, “We get 50 calls a day for plasma from relatives of Covid-affected patients. There is a huge shortage and we need people who have recovered from Covid to come forward and donate. Plasma from two donors can help 15 patients. If a donor agrees we even arrange for their transportation. Over the last few weeks, we have started appealing to people on social media and even counselling them to donate.”
Dr Vishwas Amin, medical director of the Ahmedabad chapter of Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) says, “We receive 60 blood plasma requests daily. We recover 30 to 40 plasma products everyday. We have conducted 15 to 20 plasmapheresis procedures since last month. We invite Covid-recovered patients, and conduct antibody screening. The plasma is generally infused when oxygen demand starts increasing in patients. This therapy works if it is provided early.”