New Delhi, April 20: The first coronavirus patient to be administered with the plasma therapy in Delhi has shown positive results, said a statement issued on Monday by the hospital where he was admitted. Within four days of treating him with plasma therapy, the patient admitted at COVID-19 healthcare began showing drastic improvement. India's COVID-19 Curve Flattening in Last Few Days, Remdesivir Should be Considered for Treatment, Says AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria.

The patient is now expected to be discharged shortly as his condition is rapidly improving. Two tests conducted on him after administering the plasma therapy showed him negative for the virus. The success case may lead to more hospitals across the nation replicating the therapy to minimise COVID-19 fatalities.

"The first patient who was administered Plasma Therapy on compassionate grounds at Max Hospital, Saket has shown positive results and was recently weaned off ventilator support. The patient is a 49-year-old, male from Delhi who had tested COVID positive on April 4th," said the statement issued Max Healthcare.

The hospital authorities decided to administer the plasma therapy on the request of patient's family. The treatment was initiated on April 14, after he showed no signs of improvement.

"After receiving the treatment, the patient showed progressive improvement and by the fourth day, was weaned off ventilator support on the morning of April 18th. The patient is now doing well and his two consecutive COVID tests have come negative," the hospital's statement added.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier announced that the Delhi government hospitals would use plasma therapy if it is found to be successful in increasing the chances of survival.

DR SK Sarin, who heads the Delhi government's COVID-19 panel, said the plasma therapy "could had acted as a catalyst" in the improvement in Max Healthcare patient's case. AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, while speaking to a news channel earlier, said there is a strong possibility that plasma therapy will aid in the fight against COVID-19.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2020 09:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).