Delhi will get a plasma bank for the treatment of the novel coronavirus patients, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Monday.

“The plasma bank will start operation in the next two days. I appeal to Covid-19 recovered patients to donate their plasma,” Delhi Arvind Kejriwal said.

The Delhi CM said a shortage of plasma for the Covid-19 therapy was seen. To address this shortage, the government decided to set up a plasma bank, Arvind Kejriwal said.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal added that the plasma bank will be set up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Delhi, which is not a Covid hospital.

Arvind Kejriwal also urged those who have recovered to come forward and donate plasma to help other patients.

WHAT IS PLASMA THERAPY?

The convalescent plasma therapy aims at using antibodies from the blood of a recovered Covid-19 patient to treat those critically affected by the virus. The therapy can also used to immunise those at a high risk of contracting the virus — such as health workers, families of patients and other high-risk contacts.

This therapy’s concept is simple and is based on the premise that the blood of a patient who has recovered from Covid-19 contains antibodies with the specific ability of fighting novel coronavirus. The theory is that the recovered patient’s antibodies, once ingested into somebody under treatment, will begin targetting and fighting the novel coronavirus in the second patient.