After eight days, the number of COVID-19 cases recorded in Telangana on Saturday was a single digit — seven were confirmed — while 16 persons were discharged. Of the new cases, six were detected in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and one was in Warangal Urban. The total number of cases reached 990, which is 10 short of hitting the 1,000 mark. The day saw no deaths.
It was on April 15 that six cases were reported. However, the number went up the next day to 50. The high number of cases continued till April 21. It dropped to 13 on Friday, and to seven on Saturday.
Of the 990 cases, 658 were active cases, 307 were discharged, and 25 persons suffering from the infectious disease died.
Doctors at Gandhi Hospital said that people who had recovered from COVID-19 and were discharged were ready to donate plasma for clinical trials on convalescent plasma therapy.
The hospital doctors had applied for permission to conduct the plasma therapy clinical trials for COVID-19 patients in Telangana. “There are many donors who are ready to donate their plasma,” doctors said.
Plasma collected from patients who recovered from the infectious disease would contain antibodies which would neutralise coronavirus. It was expected that mortality rate might be brought down when the plasma filled with neutralising antibodies were infused into critically ill patients. However, its effectiveness as a treatment option for COVID-19 is yet to be proved.
Meanwhile, on the first day of Ramzan, Health Minister Eatala Rajender directed hospital superintendent M Raja Rao to offer fruits during Ifthar on Saturday evening to patients.
