[The sequence of events speaks for itself. I/III. <<India is set to launch Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT), a treatment involving plasma obtained from blood of cured coronavirus patients to treat those who are critically ill. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited Letter of Intent (LoI) for participation in studies to validate Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE), ***an experimental procedure to treat critically ill coronavirus patients*** [emphasis added].>>
(Extracted from a report, dated April 15 2020, at sl. no. I. below.) II/III. <<Hundreds of Tablighi Jamaat volunteers who have recovered from Coronavirus are now queuing up in different parts of India to donate plasma for other serious patients undergoing treatment. Many volunteers have already donated blood for plasma in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, and other states. In addition, several have registered/committed themselves to donate in the states where the central government has so far not granted permission for collecting plasma. Over 200 volunteers have pledged to donate plasma in Delhi and the number is likely to go up. To begin with, 10 persons donated plasma on Sunday and there would be more on Monday, when people would come forward after breaking the Ramadan fast at dusk, said Dr Mohmmad Shoaib Ali, who is coordinating in the plasma collection drive on behalf of the Delhi health ministry. ***The move comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to all Covid-19 patients to donate plasma for the treatment of serious patients*** [emphasis added]. “Come forward and donate plasma. We all want to recover and survive the coronavirus crisis. If tomorrow, a patient is Hindu and is serious, who knows maybe the plasma of a Muslim person can save him or if a Muslim patient is serious, maybe the plasma of a Hindu person can save him,” Kejriwal said on Sunday.>> (Extracted from a report, dated April 27 2020, at sl. no. II. below.) III. <<“This is not a proven therapy. It is currently in experimental stages. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is initiating a pan-India study to understand the efficacy of this therapy. ***Till the time it is approved, no one should use it, and it will also be considered illegal*** [emphasis added],” (Lav) Agarwal (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) has stated emphatically. Last week, Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, said the Centre had granted permission to the State for limited use of plasma therapy in Lok Nayak Hospital. Four Covid-19 patients with symptoms of breathlessness showed improvement, after being subject to the therapy. ... ***While the Delhi government has clarified that it had been granted permission to conduct the therapy in limited settings in one hospital, another private hospital Max claimed that the first patient in a private set-up to be administered plasma therapy (at the request of his family) on ‘compassionate’ grounds has recovered fully*** [emphasis added]. The donor in Max’s case was also arranged by the family and the hospital has claimed in its statement that it is the first hospital in India to have ‘successfully’ used this therapy to ‘cure’ a critically-ill Covid-19 patient.>> (Extracted from a report, dated April 28 2020, at sl. no. III. below.)] I/III. https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/coronavirus-cure-india-to-start-plasma-therapy-kerala-first-off-the-block/story/401108.html Coronavirus cure: India to start plasma therapy; Kerala first off the block About 800 ml of blood is extracted from a fully recovered coronavirus patient to isolate plasma rich with antibodies, which can be then infused with the blood of a COVID-19 patient PB Jayakumar Last Updated: April 15, 2020 | 18:31 IST Coronavirus cure: India to start plasma therapy; Kerala first off the block If trials are successful, Serum Institute to sell coronavirus vaccines for Rs 1,000, says CEO Adar PoonawallaCash-starved Shapoorji Pallonji sells solar assets to KKR for Rs 1,554 crore KEY HIGHLIGHTS ICMR initiates clinical trials for convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) China, South Korea, US and UK have also tried the treatment Leading medical journals say initial small trials 'encouraging' Kerala first state to get nod to experiment with CPT India is set to launch Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT), a treatment involving plasma obtained from blood of cured coronavirus patients to treat those who arecritically ill. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited Letter of Intent (LoI) for participation in studies to validate Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE), an experimental procedure to treat critically ill coronavirus patients. In plasma therapy, about 800 ml of blood is extracted from a fully recovered coronavirus patient to isolate plasma rich with antibodies. This plasma is then infused into the blood stream of other coronavirus patients. When the body gets into contact with external pathogens like bacteria or germs, it automatically triggers a defence mechanism, releasing antibodies. The plasma from cured coronavirus patients contain antibodies that have already fought the pathogen - the coronavirus. ENCOURAGING SIGNS Studies show CPT's 'encouraging' efficacy in treatment of coronavirus patients in the absence of effective medicines or vaccines. China, South Korea, US and UK are also experimenting with CPT. India is following their footsteps. Hospitals and institutions planning to provide plasma treatment have to conduct a clinical trial with protocols which are cleared by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC). They must also be registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) and get approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) before initiating the trial. ICMR has clarified that it does not recommend this as a treatment option outside of clinical trials at the moment, though patients admitted for care at coronavirus management facilities will be eligible for inclusion in the trial. TESTS IN KERALA Kerala is the first state to initiate the protocol for plasma therapy. The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) under the Department of Science and Technology, was given a go ahead on April 11 by ICMR. But approval from the DCGI is pending as there are rules like the blood donor should not have travelled abroad in the past three months. "We have applied to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for permissions to relax the norms for blood donation," said Dr Asha Kishore Director, SCTIMST. Kerala had initiated research and protocols for the plasma therapy even before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it on April 3. ICMR sources said it would take a few days to ascertain how many trials have been allowed, since the official letter of intent was publicised only a couple of days ago. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS Use of convalescent plasma has been studied during the 2003 SARS-CoV-1 epidemic, the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic, and the 2012 MERS-CoV epidemic. The treatment was also tried for Ebola, but it wasn't very promising, say researchers. According to a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study published on March 27, researchers found CPT led to "an improvement in clinical status" of five critically-ill patients with coronavirus and ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome). A study published on April 6 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) also show 'encouraging results with CPT used in coronavirus infected patients'. "Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be safe and effective as a treatment for COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to study the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in clinical trials", observes the US FDA, while giving clearance to the therapy. II/III. https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-coronavirus-hundreds-of-recovered-tablighi-jamaat-members-donate-blood-plasma-for-serious-covid-19-patients/351604?fbclid=IwAR1Arf0mMo6p16BUKQyulIszrlGCkVQCcL2UPSSRJJ_YpMP0M17iYQ5B9LY Hundreds Of Recovered Tablighi Jamaat Members Donate Blood Plasma For COVID-19 Patients In Tamil Nadu, where the state government awaits the Centre’s nod to collect plasma, over 450 Tablighi Jamaat volunteers having already registered for donation. Qaiser Mohammad Ali 27 April 2020 Hundreds Of Recovered Tablighi Jamaat Members Donate Blood Plasma For COVID-19 Patients Tablighi Jamaat members donate blood plasma to help serious COVID-19 patients. Hundreds of Tablighi Jamaat volunteers who have recovered from Coronavirus are now queuing up in different parts of India to donate plasma for other serious patients undergoing treatment. Many volunteers have already donated blood for plasma in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, and other states. In addition, several have registered/committed themselves to donate in the states where the central government has so far not granted permission for collecting plasma. Over 200 volunteers have pledged to donate plasma in Delhi and the number is likely to go up. To begin with, 10 persons donated plasma on Sunday and there would be more on Monday, when people would come forward after breaking the Ramadan fast at dusk, said Dr Mohmmad Shoaib Ali, who is coordinating in the plasma collection drive on behalf of the Delhi health ministry. ALSO READ: Here's All You Need To Know About Plasma Therapy For COVID-19 The move comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to all Covid-19 patients to donate plasma for the treatment of serious patients. “Come forward and donate plasma. We all want to recover and survive the coronavirus crisis. If tomorrow, a patient is Hindu and is serious, who knows maybe the plasma of a Muslim person can save him or if a Muslim patient is serious, maybe the plasma of a Hindu person can save him,” Kejriwal said on Sunday. Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Muhammad Saad had also appealed to all its Covid-recovered volunteers to donate plasma in large numbers. In Tamil Nadu, where the state government awaits the Centre’s nod to collect plasma, over 450 Tablighi Jamaat volunteers having already registered for donation. “We have formed a ‘Plasma Tarteeb Jamaat’ (Plasma Coordination Group) in Tamil Nadu and so far, around 450 Tablighi Jamaat volunteers have registered themselves. This number could well go up as and when the state government receives the approval of the central government to collect plasma. This number could have been higher had people not been fasting because in Ramadan a person cannot donate while fasting; but he can do so after breaking the fast at dusk,” Chennai-based Moulana Shamsudeen Qasimi, Executive Member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board who is overseeing the plasma coordination group, told Outlook. In Delhi, the exercise started on Sunday. “We started taking blood from those Tablighi Jamaat volunteers who are in quarantine centres in Delhi. One quarantine centre is in Sultanpuri and two machines have been installed in Narela. On Sunday, it took some time in setting up of the machines etc., and 10 people donated plasma. And today we will start the process again after Iftar (breaking of fast). At the moment, we are taking patients who are under the age of 50, and only those can donate plasma who don’t have diabetes and hypertension issues,” Dr Ali told Outlook. For a donor to be eligible to donate plasma, he or she should have been free of symptoms and have tested negative for the virus at least 14 days before the plasma can be used. The blood in Covid-recovered patients develops immunity to fight against this illness, and the plasma is extracted from their blood. About 100ml plasma is taken from the blood and the process takes around 40 minutes. Dr Ali said when as a trial, four Covid-19 patients in Max Hospital in Saket, Delhi, were treated with blood plasma, “sudden changes” were noticed and their recovery was faster, and they were removed from the ventilator. “But, as of now, no one can say if this is a sure shot treatment. A study on only four patients is not enough for anything. But since a positive response was seen from the four patients, this plasma therapy is being taken forward. Still, this is a trial and that too at an initial stage,” he told Outlook. Dr Ali also said three teams—one each from Max Hospital, Apollo Hospital, and Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS)—are involved in taking plasma from Covid-recovered patients. “We have formed a group of people who are committed to donate at the quarantine centre in Sector 16 of Dwarka, as per the appeal of Maulana Saad saheb. There are about 190 Tamil Nadu Tablighi Jamaat volunteers in Delhi and everyone is committed to donate blood plasma,” said Dr Mohammad Shafiullah, who was present at the programme at Markaz Nizamuddin last month and had tested negative. He is now coordinating the plasma donation of the Jamaat volunteers. The ‘first’ plasma donor in Delhi, Tabrez Khan from Jahangirpuri, is so happy that he is now ready to donate plasma for a second time on April 30. Khan’s sister, who also tested positive, had come from Saudi Arabia, and he and their mother got infected. After having tested negative, Khan was discharged and later his sister also recovered. “On learning that I can donate plasma, my wife and my friend Shahid went to ILBS donate blood plasma. But my wife and Shahid were declared unfit for donation and I donated. The doctor said that five Corona patients would benefit from my donation,” Khan, 36, told Outlook. “My 65-year-old mother had also tested positive and she has also recovered. Now, she is insisting that she too would donate blood plasma. And for myself I can say that I can offer all parts of my body, if required, to test any vaccines being developed. The beauty of India is that people following all religions live together. And the spread of Coronavirus should not be linked to a particular community. The doctor also told me that two patients of another community have benefitted from my blood plasma. There have been all kinds of [communal] rumours doing the rounds; we should ignore these,” said Khan who manufactures socks in Jahangirpuri. Tablighi Jamaat, an apolitical, socio-religious movement, which has been in the eye of a storm after scores of its members tested positive for the Coronavirus. Recently, Maulana Saad had appealed to all Tablighi Jamaat volunteers to take part in plasma donation. “It’s my humble request to all Muslims and especially da’wah workers who receive this receive message, to come forward and show this act of kindness to humanity, and help the society and government by donating blood plasma to a sick person only for the sake of Allah’s pleasure,” wrote Maulana Saad in his message to the volunteers. III. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/use-of-plasma-therapy-illegal-centre/article31456400.ece Use of plasma therapy illegal: Centre Our Bureau New Delhi | Updated on April 28, 2020 Published on April 28, 2020 A health worker sanitises the premises of NITI Aayog building after a director-level officer tested positive for Covid-19, during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, in New Delhi, on Tuesday - Kamal Narang Efficacy of the treatment yet to be proven, says ICMR Use of plasma therapy has not been approved by the Centre for treating or as a definitive cure for Covid-19 patients, according to Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “This is not a proven therapy. It is currently in experimental stages. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is initiating a pan-India study to understand the efficacy of this therapy. Till the time it is approved, no one should use it, and it will also be considered illegal,” Agarwal has stated emphatically. Last week, Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, said the Centre had granted permission to the State for limited use of plasma therapy in Lok Nayak Hospital. Four Covid-19 patients with symptoms of breathlessness showed improvement, after being subject to the therapy. Covid patient ‘cured’ While the Delhi government has clarified that it had been granted permission to conduct the therapy in limited settings in one hospital, another private hospital Max claimed that the first patient in a private set-up to be administered plasma therapy (at the request of his family) on ‘compassionate’ grounds has recovered fully. The donor in Max’s case was also arranged by the family and the hospital has claimed in its statement that it is the first hospital in India to have ‘successfully’ used this therapy to ‘cure’ a critically-ill Covid-19 patient. The Ministry of Health has also issued new guidelines on self isolation of very mild Covid-19 cases, stating that they can opt for the facility of isolating themselves at home. “In case of difficulty in breathing, chest pain, mental confusion, bluish discolouration of lips or face or, as advised by the treating doctor, immediate medical attention should be sought,” Agarwal said. Meanwhile, after an official at the director level in NITI Aayog — a government think-tank — tested positive, the building has been sealed for two days. “Disinfection and sanitisation of the building are under way. Contacts of the Covid-19 patient who tested positive have been asked to go on self quarantine,” NITI Aayog has said in a statement. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/greenyouth/CACEsOZi%3DO0gMcP1MJUTTatVLmzCV1rA7iPTmuxfKsz%2B_RToPPQ%40mail.gmail.com.
