Plasma bank to be set up in Delhi for treatment of COVID-19 patients

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced setting up of a 'plasma bank' to save lives of serious COVID-19 patients in the national capital.

Addressing an online media briefing, the chief minister said the bank will start working in the next two days, adding that the AAP government will encourage those who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma.

The chief minister said that a helpline will be set up by the government for queries related to donation of plasma.

Kejriwal said that his government has so far conducted clinical trial of plasma therapy on 29 COVID-19 patients and the result was "encouraging".

The chief minister also announced that a sum of Rs one crore will be given to the family of LNJP Dr Aseem Gupta, who died due to COVID-19.

The 52-year-old doctor served in the front line of the war against the pandemic at the government facility, and died of novel coronavirus infection in an ICU of a private hospital on Sunday.