Coronavirus patient recovers after plasma therapy in Pakistan

For the time in Pakistan, a coronavirus patient has recovered following a successful convalescent plasma therapy at a hospital in Karachi, a senior health expert said on Sunday.

Convalescent plasma therapy uses antibodies from the blood of a recovered coronavirus patient to treat those critically affected by the virus.

A 53-year-old COVID-19 patient admitted at Liaquat Medical University in Karachi was given convalescent plasma therapy last week.

The patient recovered after seven days, even before the usual two-week period, following the treatment, Dr Tahir Shamsi, head of the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD), told reporters.

"I can confirm that the first coronavirus patient, treated with passive immunisation of plasma therapy, has recovered and has been discharged from the hospital," he said, without revealing the identity of the person.

Sindh, which is among the worst-hit provinces in Pakistan, has allowed the use of plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 patients.

Also known as passive immunisation, the therapy is still in an experimental stage for coronavirus treatment, but is being used in many countries, including India, China and the US.

Pakistan has reported 29,465 coronavirus cases and 637 fatalities. Punjab registered 11,093 cases, Sindh 10,771, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 4,509, Balochistan 1,935, Islamabad 641, Gilgit-Baltistan 430 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 86.