Coronavirus update: Delhi govt will create plasma bank for COVID-19 patients, says CM Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that his government will set up a plasma bank in the national capital for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Announcing the same at a virtual media briefing, Kejriwal stated that the bank will start operating in Delhi in the next two working days. It will be set up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in the national capital.

He also urged people who have recovered from the coronavirus to donate their plasma to help save critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: Number of containment zones rises to 417 in Delhi, around 2.45 lakh people screened so far

Kejriwal also informed that the Delhi government has so far conducted clinical trials of plasma therapy on 29 COVID-19 patients, adding that the results had come out good.

Kejriwal also announced Rs 1 crore for the family of Dr. Aseem Gupta who died due to COVID-19. He was working as an anesthesia specialist in the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital. Dr. Gupta tested positive on June 6, the LNJP hospital said in a statement.

Also Read: Delhi CM Kejriwal pays tribute to senior LNJP doctor who died due to coronavirus

A single-day spike of 19,459 COVID-19 cases took India's tally to 5,48,318 on Monday, while the death toll climbed to 16,475 with 380 new fatalities, according to Union Health Ministry data.

This is the sixth consecutive day that coronavirus infections have increased by more than 15,000. The country has seen a surge of 3,57,783 infections from June 1 till date.

The number of active cases stands at 2,10,120, while 3,21,722 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data.

Maharashtra reported the highest number of cases at 1,64,626, followed by Delhi at 83,077, Tamil Nadu at 82,275, Gujarat at 31,320, Uttar Pradesh at 22,147, West Bengal at 17,283 and Rajasthan at 17,271, according to ministry data.

Also Read: 'Most COVID beds in Delhi are lying vacant', says Kejriwal