India / What Delhi did yesterday, US does today: CM on plasma therapy in US

New Delhi: A day after the United States President Donald Trump announced that US Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorisation for the use of blood plasma to treat coronavirus patients, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the country has taken a cue from the ‘Delhi Model’ of battling COVID-19.

CM Kejriwal also took to Twitter and lauded the Delhiites over the achievement. “They used to say, back in the day – what America does today, India would do tomorrow. Delhi has changed it. Now – what Delhi did yesterday, America does today. Congratulations Delhiites for achieving this for our country”, tweeted the AAP convener.

In a statement, the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi said that it was “the first to seek permission for trials” of plasma therapy in April and the first to open a plasma bank in India in July.

Taking a cue from the Delhi Model of battling coronavirus, the federal government of the United States of America has also adopted the model of convalescent plasma therapy for the treatment of critically COVID-19 patients in the US. The announcement was made today by US President Donald Trump,” the statement said.

It added that back in April, the Delhi government was the first in the country to apply for permission from Centre to carry out trials of plasma therapy at its LNJP hospital.

“Following encouraging results of the initial trials of plasma therapy in critical COVID patients, Delhi government then requested the Centre to allow plasma therapy in the national capital, which was granted”, it said.

The first plasma bank in the country was subsequently started in ILBS by the Delhi government on July 2, with an objective to provide free of cost convalescent plasma to patients. Subsequently, another plasma bank was launched at the LNJP Hospital in Delhi.

Emergency Use of Plasma Therapy to Treat COVID-19 Patients in US

“I am pleased to make a truly historic announcement, in our battle against China virus, that will save countless lives. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has issued an emergency use authorisation for a treatment known as convalescent plasma,” Trump had said from the White House.

“It’s only made possible because of Operation Warp Speed, i.e. everybody working together. We’re years ahead of approvals. If we went by the speed levels of past administration would be 2-3 yrs behind where we’re today. That includes vaccines you would be hearing about very soon,” he added.

The US President said that the government provided $48 million to fund the studies of the treatment, that is believed to have reduced the COVID-19 mortality rate by 35 per cent. “According to the study, around one hundred thousand Americans have already enrolled in receiving this treatment,” he stated.