Daily Times

Medical scientists are ready to shot into the dark through holding clinical trials of injecting blood plasma of Corona survivors into Covid-19 active affected patients. Convalescent Plasma is an existing agent of blood comprising and consisting antibodies.

Peering into the near past, this method was administered and turned up as a helpful agent to treat Corona’s earlier species like influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Ebola etc.

A Karachi based Haematologist & Transplant Physician serving as Consultant at National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIHD) Hospital, Karachi sought and acquired special permission from Sindh Government to hold maiden experimental tests in Pakistan on primary stage positive patients which is not less than a herculean task until or unless this procedure is at experimental level and scientifically tested and proved admissible. Punjab govt is also on board to engage provincial health department in collaboration with Dr. Tahir Shamsi with a commitment and determination to bring out some cure to novel Covid-19.

More and more care with strict criteria would be required to our scientists during this procedure because a minor flaw or lapse in acquisition of information regarding both donor and receiver may land the experimental process in lurch and ultimately in a complete failure. Such as the donors would required to be a former positive patient who had absolutely recovered without any symptoms since last two to three weeks and the time of being the donor the same is straight away a negative carrier. Almost every Country whether under-developed, developed or developing, has put in place its maximum effort for the preparation of a vaccine to deal with this pandemic.

Chinese experiments also provide good load of assistance in combating Corona pandemic. As per Chinese researches, most of the recovered patients generate good and helpful antibodies within a month from their cure. In that case, if medical practitioners successfully conduct these experimental tests and results also show in favor and come up-to expectations this will be enormous news for the whole world at a time when around two hundred countries across the Globe are actually infected with this lethal virus and gone into quarantine. More than three quarters of a million people are being infected and fall ill, whereas, forty five thousand deaths have been officially reported and confirmed, so far.

At a time of plague, this procedure has reinstated a ray of hope among scientists while all communities expect light at the end of tunnel. Every human being (the donor) naturally produces sufficient plasma to donate and administer into three patients. This indicates a positive vibe that a far less number may bring cure to bugger number of patients’ upto thrice in total. Actually, nature has set a favorable auto-generation system into our bodies that functions like in a couple of days the donors would reproduce same amount of anti-bodies into their plasma after donation. Only a formal test of immune reactions of receiver may give a go ahead for the treatment. Wherein, a cup full of plasma liquid would be sufficient to drip in like a transfusion pattern after confirming same blood grouping. Once it’s dripped into a patient, the receiver is expected to naturally produce antibodies with the help of dripped plasma within four weeks span.

At a time of plague, this procedure has reinstated a ray of hope among scientists while all communities expect light at the end of tunnel

Administration of convalescent plasma is anticipated to immediately help in lowering the intensity of corona virus. Excessive testing and isolating people from others is the only remedy for the corona virus to further spread. A joint venture of local and Federal health Departments to track and test at massive level would help to control the further outbreak. In addition, proper quarantine to un-expose the affected with others is merely beneficial for stopping the pandemic to engulf whole country from infection.

Federal govt has adopted a wise methodology to restrict pandemic spread among general masses by executing lock down in all provinces which has been extended for another term till mid April, whereas, Sindh govt had already imposed strict lock down in its territory of rule. The timings for grocery and other necessary items sale shops are also shrinking on each passing day to avoid further physical contacts. One thing necessarily needs to be pondered over by all circles that, in case, if full-fledged curfew is imposed in country this would also add into miseries of poor public who have lost their source of income since last month. Most of the families, may be counted into millions, are at the verge of financial collapse. On the other hand, imposing curfew would also be not in favor of govt circles as what would be the punishment or penalty of curfew violator if he or his family member is hungry back at home and he searches for some food to feed them. Whether they would be put behind the bars or would be shot at the spot? This places a question mark on the ones favoring imposition of curfew.

The writer is freelancer