Prof. Sareen Sheikh awarded Ph.D. by Mangalore University

Bengaluru, April 3: One new positive case of COVID-19 was reported in the state on Friday.

The patient is a 75-year-old man from Bagalkot and has been isolated at a designated hospital in Bagalkot, the State government said.

"Till date, 125 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the state, this includes three deaths and 11 discharges," it added.

The total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2301 in India on Friday, including 156 cured/discharged, 56 deaths and 1 migrated, as per the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Bengaluru, Jul 9: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday said the Covid-19 situation was “getting out of control a little” in some parts of the state, but assured citizens that authorities were taking necessary steps. 

“In some districts, it’s getting out of control a little. But the district administration and police are working day and night,” Yediyurappa said before the Cabinet meeting where the Covid-19 situation will be discussed. 

Speculation is rife that the government might consider stricter measures to curb the movement of people to try arresting the rising number of Covid-19 cases. 

Later in the day, Yediyurappa is slated to inspect the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre, which has been converted into a Covid Care Centre with 10,000 beds. The chief minister said he had ordered “immediate” arrangement of more ambulances for Bengaluru, where cases are rapidly shooting up. 

“A team from the Centre had come. They’ve made some observations and they also appreciated us for some of the things we’ve done,” he added. 

On Friday, Yediyurappa has convened a meeting of all Bengaluru ministers, legislators, MPs and councillors to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic in the city.

Newsroom, Apr 22: Dozens of Tablighi Jamaat members from across the country who have been successfully recovered and have now tested negative for the novel coronavirus have come forward and donate their plasma for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The Tablighis from Tamil Nadu were the first to take this decision. According to them, apart from helping the critically ill patients to recover from COVID-19, was to counter the ‘baseless accusations’ that Tablighis were responsible for the spread of the virus following the religious congregation of the sect held at Delhi’s Nizamuddin area last month.

Mohammad Abbas, a thirty-eight year old businessman from Tiruppur was on Sunday discharged from Coimbatore’s ESI hospital. “As soon as I got discharged, I met the district administration officials and the dean of the hospital and told them that they may contact me anytime if they needed me to donate my plasma,” Abbas was quoted as saying by an English daily.

“It has only been one day since I was discharged but I’ve already spoken to others (from the Jamaat) who have recovered and they were all ready to donate,” he added. 

Leader's call

Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, a prominent leader of Tablighi Jamaat, who has been booked by the Delhi Police for holding a religious congregation, too has appealed to coronavirus survivors to donate blood plasma for infected people.

In a letter issued on Tuesday, Saad said most of the members who were quarantined did not have any infection and they tested negative for COVID-19.

"Even from amongst the ones who tested positive for the disease, a majority of them have now undergone treatment and are now cured while I and a few others are still under quarantine.

"It is required that such people who are now cured of this disease should donate blood plasma to others who are still fighting the disease and are under treatment," he said.

He also has urged the followers of the organisation to pray at home in the month of Ramadan instead of going to mosques. 

Plasma therapy

Convalescent Plasma Therapy is an experimental procedure for COVID-19 patients.

In this therapy, the antibodies of a person who has recovered from the virus are taken and transfused into a sick person (having the virus) to help boost the person’s immune system.

The recovered COVID-19 patient’s blood develops antibodies to battle against COVID-19.

Once the blood of the first patient is infused to the second patient, those antibodies will start fighting against the coronavirus in the second person.

The process for donating plasma is similar to donating blood and takes about an hour.

Several countries around the world including the United Kingdom and the United States have also started plasma therapy trials.

In India, several states like Kerala, Gujarat and Punjab have already started using Plasma Therapy for the corona-infected patients.