The government said today it would continue to appeal to people who have recovered from the new coronavirus infection to donate their blood plasma for treating other patients and only eight people have answered the call so far, RTHK reports. Only males aged between 18 and 60 years are eligible to donate, as plasma drawn from women were found unsuitable in some circumstances. Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood that carries the blood cells and platelets throughout the bodyIn a written reply to a Legco question, the Health Secretary, Sophia Chan, revealed that eight people who have recovered from the virus infection had donated their blood plasma. Three patients in critical condition have been treated using the “convalescent plasma.”“Preliminary data of a study by the University of Hong Kong showed that the viral load of Covid-19 patients was significantly reduced after receiving convalescent plasma treatment,” she said. She said these plasma can be stored for one year.

Source: The Standard June 10, 2020 08:15 UTC