The convalescent plasma transfusion experiment for patients with critical coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms has shown successful results in Egypt, Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed on Friday.
The plasma of some people who recovered from coronavirus has been injected into some patients who have shown critical symptoms, Zayed said, adding that plasma has also been provided to two hospitals.
The experiment to inject convalescent plasma has contributed to reducing the need for ventilators and increasing the number of recoveries, Zayed said.
She called on recovered people to donate plasma after 14 days from recovery, by visiting one of five blood donation centers allocated for such purpose, including one in Giza, in Greater Cairo and four in Alexandria and Tanta, in the northern part of the country, and Minya and Luxor in Upper Egypt.
You can call these centers on:
– Giza center: 0237620202
– Tanta center: 0403509575
– Alexandria center: 0339232257
– Minya center: 0862339241
– Luxor center: 0952283579
Zayed also stated some conditions for plasma donors, including being between 18 and 60 years old and weighing over 50 kilograms. They also have to prove they have tested positive for coronavirus via a former swab, and that they tested negative twice later as a sign of recovery
Zayed earlier said Egypt has the required experience in the convalescent plasma therapy and that the ministry is working hard through scientific research to find treatment for coronavirus patients.
Also, Egypt is about to use the anti-viral drug, Remdesivir (GS-5734), as part of its medical protocol to treat coronavirus patients, a health official said, adding that Hydroxychloroquine will continue to be included.
Remdesivir was developed by the American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences and has shown some good indications in coronavirus treatment.
The Health Ministry’s scientific committee to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) has affirmed that Hydroxychloroquine shows good results with the coronavirus patients in Egypt and shows no harm, Hossam Hosny, head of the committee told dmc said. He, however, warned against taking any medication without medical advice.
Egypt reported 1,152 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, raising the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in Egypt to 29,767.
Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said in the daily briefing that 38 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 1,126.
As many as 406 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 7,756 so far, the spokesman said.
The number of coronavirus patients who had now been retested for the virus and received negative results has reached 8,793, he added
Egypt Today
