For curing others, recovered corona patient donates plasma

ISLAMABAD: Yahya Jafri, a coronavirus survivor from Pakistan, has donated his plasma to doctors to help them in the fight against the novel infection.

In a press conference on Thursday, Jafri said he was ready to help his country in any way and thanked Allah Almighty for his recovery from the illness.

“This virus will become history and our efforts will be remembered,” said Jafri while speaking alongside hematologist expert Dr Saqib Ansari, media reports.

Dr Ansari told media that Jafri was diagnosed with the coronavirus last month, and after recovering from the infection he donated his plasma so that others can be cured.

“The FDA will use the plasma to create anti-bodies,” said Dr Ansari. He came with his parents to make the donation. Coronavirus patients will be treated through passive immunization, said the hematologist.

The plasma transfusion will help patients to boost their immune system, thereby helping them recover fast and slow the spread of the virus.

However, the doctor clarified that not every corona patient required plasma.

He said the machine used to treat dengue virus patients also works on those suffering from the coronavirus. But he added that they were waiting on the government’s decision on the matter. “We have to stop the spread, [carry out] treatment and [end] panic in the society,” said Dr Ansari while explaining the threats doctors face.

The donation comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan climbed to 2,360 on Thursday after the country reported more cases. The death toll has reached 34.