A study has shown that plasma therapy has not been effective in reducing the death rate in COVID-19 patients.
The Union Ministry of Health stated Tuesday that it is considering excluding convalescent plasma therapy from its guidelines on COVID-19 treatment after its study found the procedure has not been effective in reducing the death rate in patients. patients. Responding to a question about hospitals demanding plasma and citizens having to rush from one pillar to another to organize it, the Director General of the Indian Council for Medical Research stated that they are discussing the possibility of the notice being removed entirely. .
“India has conducted the largest study of plasma therapy on 464 patients in 39 hospitals. This article was accepted in the British Medical Journal and will soon appear as a full 10+ page article on the role of plasma in COVID-19. We have had discussions with the national working group and we are discussing further to have this removed from the national guidelines. That is the ongoing discussion and we are reaching that conclusion, ”he said.
The study in question was conducted between April 22 and July 14 and showed that although the use of convalescent plasma appeared to improve the resolution of shortness of breath and fatigue, this did not translate into a reduction in mortality at 28 days or in progression to severe levels. disease in moderate patients with COVID-19.
In response to a separate question, the DG of ICMR added that since studies have indicated that antibodies are lowered in COVID-19 patients after a few months, they become vulnerable to infection again.
“After coronavirus infection, antibodies develop in the body. There are many studies on how long they will last in the body; some say bitter months and others five months. If they last for five months and the antibodies are lowered after that, there is a chance of reinfection. That is why it is important to wear a mask and take precautions even if one was infected earlier, ”said Balram Bhargava.
Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus infections reported daily in India fell below 50,000 almost after three months, bringing India’s number of COVID-19 cases to 75,97,063, according to data from the Ministry of Health. of the Union updated on Tuesday. A total of 46,790 new infections were reported in one day, while the death toll rose to 1,15,197 with 587 deaths recorded in a 24-hour span, data updated at 8 a.m. showed.
The number of new deaths reported nationwide was less than 600 for the second day in a row. Active cases of coronavirus infection remained below 8 lakh for the fourth consecutive day. There are 7,48,538 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country, which represents 9.85% of the total cases reported to date.
.
