UAE reports 387 new Covid-19 cases, DHA to begin blood plasma treatments this week

UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) reported 387 new Covid-19 cases on April 12, taking the total number of patients infected with the virus up to 4,123.

It said that there were also two deaths, thereby raising the total number of fatalities as a result of this coronavirus in the UAE to 22. Both victims were Asians and were suffering from chronic diseases.

The ministry confirmed that an additional 92 patients had recovered on Sunday. That latest figure implies that 680 patients in the country have made a full recovery after contracting the virus.

On the same day, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said that it will start using blood plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients to treat critical cases this week, as part of a treatment method known as convalescent plasma therapy, reported official news agency WAM.

آخر الإحصائيات حول إصابات فيروس كورونا المستجد (كوفيد 19) في الإمارات
The latest update of Coronavirus (Covid 19) in the UAE#خلك_في_البيت#ملتزمون_يا_وطن#فيروس_كورونا_المستجد #كوفيد19#وزارة_الصحة_ووقاية_المجتمع_الإمارات#stayhome#coronavirus#covid19#mohap_uae pic.twitter.com/4YBgpOUH4p

— وزارة الصحة ووقاية المجتمع الإماراتية – MOHAP UAE (@mohapuae) April 12, 2020

Dr. Younis Kazim, CEO of Dubai Healthcare Corporation at the DHA, said that the health authority has introduced the protocol for convalescent plasma therapy at DHA hospitals and private hospitals in Dubai and that these protocols were in line with international standards.

According to studies, it has been found that once a person recovers from the virus, they develop antibodies that will remain in their blood to fight the virus.

The plasma of patients who have developed the virus and then recovered from it is rich in antibodies that can ward off the virus, and hence when injected into other Covid-19 patients, it will similarly help to fight the virus within the infected individuals.

The DHA has outlined rules and guidelines to specify who can make based plasma donations and who is eligible to receive this treatment.

Kazim added that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) revealed that it was scientifically proven that the use of convalescent plasma therapy helped speed the recovery of Covid-19 patients, decreasing the number of days infected cases spent in a hospital.

A day earlier, a spokesman for the UAE’s health ministry confirmed that the government was studying the effectiveness of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. “Some preliminary studies have shown the effectiveness of drugs such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in Covid-19 treatment. These are drugs used in the country, and their effectiveness, as well as that of other antiviral drugs, is being continuously monitored.”

Read: UAE reports 376 new Covid-19 cases and 4 deaths; confirms use of hydroxychloroquine