TN Tablighi attendees ready to donate plasma for COVID-19 treatment

“I am ready to donate my plasma not just to help other patients recover from COVID-19 but to send a message that I am cooperative in nature and a law-abiding citizen. I want to give hope to others.” These are the words of 40-year-old Mohammad Jaffar from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu who tested positive for Coronavirus after attending the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in New Delhi.

Jaffar, who is now under home quarantine after his discharge from a government hospital on April 16, is not alone. A good number of those who attended the Delhi meet from Tamil Nadu have expressed their willingness to donate their plasma to treat COVID-19 patients to send a strong message that they are “law-abiding” citizens.

Local religious leaders are also encouraging recovered COVID-19 patients, especially youngsters, to donate their plasma once the government makes an announcement in this regard.

“I donate blood every six months and I don’t have any problem in donating my plasma. If my plasma can save a life, why should I refrain from donating it? Besides helping in treating someone, I can also send a message that I am cooperative in nature. Helping someone in need is the basic instinct of a human being,” Jaffar told DH.

A group of treated patients from Theni also released a video on Tuesday expressing their willingness to donate their plasma, while the secretary of Erode District Masjid Coordination Committee told DH that several patients in the textile town were willing to do their bit in containing COVID-19.

The offer comes as the Tamil Nadu government looks set to commence trials for convalescent plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 patients. Doctors believe plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients will have antibodies to the virus which will help treat others who have contracted Coronavirus.

The state government has sought permission from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting plasma therapy treatment. Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar had last week said the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) and the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University have been equipped to carry out the clinical trials.

The attendees of the congregation from across the country came under attack from various quarters for “non-cooperation.” But, in Tamil Nadu, nearly 1,000 people voluntarily got admitted to hospitals after the government made a public appeal in this regard.

Of the 1,520 COVID-19 patients in Tamil Nadu, more than 1,300 belong to the Delhi cluster, including 620 members of the jamaat who attended the meeting. The number of total discharges has also crossed 500.

M Sheik Mohamed, Director of Aiman College of Arts and Science for Women in Tiruchirappalli, told DH that he was preparing a list of persons from the city who are willing to donate their plasma.

“I am 68 years old, but I am ready to donate my plasma if I am found eligible. We are collecting a list of people who returned from the hospital after treatment. We have got consent from several people and we will get consent for more in the coming days. Young people are more than willing to donate their plasma,” he said.

Ruing the “stigmatization” to which the conference attendees were subjected, Mohammed said negative comments against him, and a group of people affected them a lot during the treatment. “Nobody wishes the virus upon themselves. We were targeted and branded as those who do not cooperate. By expressing willingness to donate our plasma, we have made our stand and conscience clear,” he added.

Dr. P Vasanthamani, Dean, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, Chennai said five patients who underwent treatment at the hospital have already expressed their willingness to donate their plasma.

“The treated patients will have powerful anti-bodies and there is a procedure involved in accepting plasma donation. The patients are discharged only after 14 days in the hospital and they have advised another 14 days quarantine at home. After the home quarantine ends, we will screen them and check whether they are eligible for donation,” she told DH.

She added that the hospital has received a good response for its call to young patients to donate their plasma for COVID-19 treatment.

Haji Mohammad Hanifa, secretary of the Erode District Masjid Coordination Committee also said he was preparing a list of those eligible for plasma donation in his district.

“It is unfortunate many of those who attended the meeting contracted COVID-19. Now that they are all fine and discharged from the hospital, they want to help treat new patients and do their bit to the society. Most of them are voluntarily coming forward to donate their plasma,” Hanifa told DH.

He added they will hand over the list to the district administration when the government makes an official announcement that it has begun plasma therapy.