KUWAIT CITY, April 9: Kuwait Central Blood Bank (KCBB) has started producing plasma artificially to help treat patients suffering from the novel coronavirus, Director of KCBB Blood Transfusion Division Dr Reem Al- Radhwan announced on Wednesday.

The process entails collecting plasma from donors who were formerly COVID-19 patients and then transfusing it into the blood of patients to strengthen their immunity, she said in a statement to KUNA. “According to the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the plasma donation from former patients should start soon after the end of their home quarantine.

“When a person contracts a disease, their bodies start producing antibodies to face down the new enemy,” she said. “In the case of the respiratory disease, COVID-19, a former patient keeps a high level of antibodies three weeks after their recovery, and then the antibodies start taking a downward slant towards the normal level.

“Therefore, the plasma generating process requires setting a time schedule for each donor,” Dr Al-Radhwan explained, noting that a recovered person can help treat three patients. The plasma donation is conducted at the KCBB Headquarters in Al-Jabriya Area, she said, appreciating the efforts of the medical teams who contributed to the start of this process in Kuwait.