New Delhi: Maharashtra's first Covid-19 patient who was undergoing treatment using plasma therapy died due to the disease at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on Wednesday night. The 53-year-old patient was in critical condition and was kept under ventilator support.
The patient had not tested negative for the coronavirus and had not shown any improvements in his condition since the therapy was administered four days ago, reports the Times of India.
On Saturday, doctors transfused one dose (200 ml) of plasma from a recovered person to help the patient develop antibodies and fight the infection. However, while the patient's condition was initially showing improvement, he was again reported critical within 24 hours.
The patient died at 11:30 pm on Wednesday after developing acute respiratory distress syndrome and succumbed due to septicaemia.
As the patient had shown signs of recovery, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had hailed trail as the 'first successful treatment of a Covid-19' in the state.
"The first plasma therapy has been successful in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital. We are carrying out a second experiment on another patient in BYL Nair hospital, also in Mumbai. We are hopeful that it will be successful as well," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Despite the setback, Directorate of Health Services, Dr Anupkumar Yadav said the plasma trials in the state would continue with appropriate selection of patients as it is an emerging treatment to cure the deadly virus.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will begin a study on the efficacy of plasma therapy this week involving 450 people, said a government source familiar with the development.
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