There is no one absolute drug/medicine/vaccine for the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide. Other than using drugs, another method is to actually get convalescent plasma from people who recovered from Covid-19.
This method, according to Harvard, has been used to treat illnesses such as polio and SARS. Antibody-containing plasma from a recovered patient is given by transfusion to a patient who is suffering from a certain illness. The donor antibodies help the patient fight the illness, possibly shortening the length or reducing the severity of the disease.
In Malaysia, there is currently only one person donating their blood plasma and that is Reza Huzairi Zainudin, 41. Reza, who is case-46 has said that he feels very thankful that he was able to donate his blood plasma, reported Bernama.
“Allah replaced my sadness with the pleasure and pride of being able to donate my blood plasma to affected Covid-19 patients.”
It turns out that not everyone can donate blood plasma and there are a few criteria to fulfil, they are:
- No history of chronic illnesses
- Did not take any medication for a long time
- Generally healthy
As the first plasma donor, Reza has cleared all these criteria. As Reza weighs about 65kg, he could only donate up to 500ml of blood plasma at one time, but that amount can be used on several patients. So he plans on returning 2 weeks later and donating more of his plasma if the doctor sees fit.
Doctors have told him as well that by injecting his plasma into the blood of a person who has the same blood type will produce the best results. Because of this, Reza hopes that more people can step forward to donate their blood plasma so that more patients can be treated.
Other than that, Reza has also revealed his 11-day experience in the Sungai Buloh isolation wards.
“Never would I imagine that I’d be in that situation. The stress was unreal and while I’m worried about myself, I’m also worried about my wife and three kids.
I was also very scared and worried that I could have infected my staff. I could only pray to Allah at that time.”
To take his mind off things, Reza has said that during his 11 days in the hospital, he worked as he would in the office. Reza would like to thank the Ministry of Health, the doctors and nurses who have worked tirelessly at the frontlines. He would also like to remind the rest of us Malaysians to stay at home and abide by the MCO!
This is certainly a tale of a very brave man! We hope that more people eligible for blood plasma donations will be able to step up and donate!
Also read: Prison Inmates Are Working Monday to Sunday to Ensure Our Frontliners Get Protective Suits
