In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

Pampanga to launch blood plasma donation program vs. Covid-19

By Zorayda Tecson

September 26, 2020, 12:01 pm

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The provincial government will launch a registry program where survivors of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) can make plasma donations for patients in need. 

Provincial Health Office chief, Dr. Jay Rivera, said in an interview on Friday that blood plasma donation from survivors would contribute to efforts to seek treatment for patients.

Rivera said Governor Dennis Pineda has asked them to come up with a system on how survivors could donate blood plasma to help treat confirmed Covid-19 patients.

“We are looking forward, together with Governor Pineda, to jumpstart the program, hopefully, by the end of this month because there are many survivors who are more than willing to donate. We have a random questionnaire if they are willing. Surprisingly, at napakasarap ng pakiramdam na ating mga (and it is a nice feeling that our) Cabalens, almost 100 percent, are willing to volunteer and give their blood for this endeavor,” he said.

Based on the latest report of the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, the province has 1,583 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 609 active cases.

Of the figure, 934 have recovered from the disease while 40 have died.

A vaccine against Covid-19 has yet to be developed but some medical experts believe antibodies harvested from the plasma recovered from the blood of survivors could help in the recovery of other patients.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has earlier opened a convalescent plasma facility at its National Blood Center in Port Area, Manila.

PRC chairman and chief executive officer, Senator Richard Gordon, said in a statement that the facility’s opening follows the pronouncement by Philippine General Hospital-based experts that 90 percent of Covid-19 patients who underwent the treatment have recovered.

Convalescent plasma therapy is the transfusion of plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients to a patient currently battling the disease. (PNA)

Comments