Coronavirus LIVE: Plasma Therapy Not Approved, Says Health Ministry; Guidelines Issued for Home Isolation

The Health Ministry confirmed on Tuesday, April 28, that plasma therapy for COVID-19 is not yet approved as a therapy and is currently at an “experimental stage” only.

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, in a press briefing said that Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched a national-level study to look into the efficacy of plasma therapy in treatment of COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2.

Use of plasma therapy is only on trial basis and thus must be with adequate safeguards as it can be “life threatening.”

The confirmation of ministry on the non-approval of plasma therapy came a day after a private hospital in Delhi claimed that a COVID-19 patient, who was administered plasma therapy for the first time in the facility, was discharged on Sunday after being completely cured.

Meanwhile, the ministry revised its guidelines on Tuesday making available the option of home isolation for very mild/pre-symptomatic patients having requisite facility.

A care giver should be available to provide care on 24 x7 basis and a communication link between the caregiver and hospital is a pre-requisite for the entire duration of home isolation, the guidelines said.

In such cases, hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis for the care giver and all close contacts and downloading of Arogya Setu App for the patient has been made mandatory.

As of 5 PM on Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 29,974, of which 22,010 are under “active” medical supervision and 7,026 have recovered. The death toll due to COVID-19 has crossed the 900-mark, standing at 937.