Mysuru: COVID cases in Mysuru touched 10,535 and the district has the dubious distinction of having the highest death rate of 2.88 percent which is more than the State average of 0.63 percent and the national average of 1.92 percent.
Despite this, the donations of plasma by COVID19 recovered persons is yet to pick up in Mysuru. However, though the recovery rate of covid 19 patients which is 64.31 percent in Mysuru is better than the State average which is 62.34 percent.
Though 6776 people have recovered from covid 19 in Mysuru, ever since the plasma collection from covid 19 recovered people has begun in Mysuru since last Monday at blood bank in KR hospital, only 12 covid 19 recovered people have donated their plasma. And they could not arrange plasma for at least 20 critically ill covid 19 patients whose families had approached them, since there was no stock at the blood bank in KR Hospital, according to Dr Manjunath B S, blood bank officer at blood bank of KR hospital.
A 75 year old woman in Mysuru, was one of those 20 critically ill patients whose family had approached KR hospital blood bank in Mysuru, and succumbed to covid 19 Saturday night, as the family could not procure “A positive” plasma of a covid 19 recovered person for her, despite best of efforts.
At first on 12 August, while the 75 year old suffered cardiac arrest, she was rushed to a government cardiac institute here, but she was referred to a private hospital. At the private hospital, the patient was told they could only stabilize her condition but do nothing else. The family had to arrange ICU bed with ventilator at some other hospital within an hour.
And when the family checked, none of the hospitals in Mysuru had ICU bed with ventilator vacant. Finally, after using influence at the highest level, the private hospital made arrangements for her ICU bed there itself.
But ironically, she was tested positive for covid 19 and her lungs were infected. And on Saturday afternoon, the doctors at the private hospital asked if the family can arrange “A positive” plasma from a Covid 19 recovered person for her treatment.
But, the blood bank at KR hospital in Mysuru, said that they did not have the stock of “A positive plasma”. Though her 40 year old son had undergone bypass surgery in June, despite his best of efforts through his family, friends, best of his contacts including Mysuru DC Mr Abhiram G Shankar, from Saturday afternoon till 10pm, the plasma could not be obtained. And the 75 year old breathed her last at around 10pm on Saturday. At last with a change in the guidelines, though the 75 year old had eight children, only three of them were allowed by Government to be part of her last rites. And the insurance company reimbursed only part of the bill amount of the private hospital where she was admitted.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, her 40 year old son said, “We take covid 19 lightly and don’t realize its magnitude until our own family members get infected. So people should ensure that they take good care of themselves. And if recovered patients can save another life, by donating plasma they should do it,” he said.
Plasma therapy is one of the supportive measures used by doctors to treat covid 19 patients, wherein the antibodies developed in a Covid 19 recovered person which are immune to the virus, may fight the virus when their plasma is transferred to another covid 19 infected, according to a haematologist Dr Srikanth M K.
In Mysuru, so far 10,535 people have tested positive for covid 19 and 304 people have died. And there are 3776 active cases in Mysuru.
Also a city based private hospital had to procure plasma from HSG in Bengaluru to treat four of their covid 19 patients.
