Kanika Kapoor offers to donate plasma

Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor on Monday expressed her desire to donate her plasma for treating coronavirus patients, officials said.

She has given her blood sample for testing at the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, they said.

"Singer Kanika Kapoor on Monday expressed her desire to KGMU doctors to donate plasma. After this, she was called and her blood sample was taken for testing. If everything is found appropriate in the report (of the blood test), she will be called on Monday evening or Tuesday to donate her plasma," Tulika Chandra, Head of Department of Transfusion Medicine, KGMU told PTI.

"So far, three COVID-19 patients, who have recovered from the infection at the KGMU, have donated their plasma. This includes a resident doctor of KGMU Tauseef Khan, a female doctor from Canada (who was admitted here) and another patient," she said.

Kapoor had tested positive for novel coronavirus on March 20.

She came under attack for negligence and not practising self-quarantine despite returning to the country from the UK amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement on Sunday, the singer said she is aware of 'several versions of stories' about her diagnosis, but 'negativity thrown at a person does not change the reality'.

The singer clarified that she travelled to Lucknow to meet her family on March 11 and claimed there was 'no screening setup for domestic flights'.

On March 14 and 15, Kapoor said she attended a friend''s lunch and dinner and clarified 'there was no party hosted by me and I was in absolute normal health'.

However, on March 17 and 18, she developed symptoms and said she got herself tested on March 19.

'On March 20 when informed that my test was positive, I chose to go to the hospital. I was discharged after three negative tests and have since been at home for 21 days,' she added.

Convalescent Plasma Therapy is an experimental procedure for COVID-19 patients. In this treatment, plasma (a blood component) from a cured COVID-19 patient is transfused to a critically ill coronavirus patient.

The blood of a person who has recovered from COVID-19 develops antibodies to battle against the virus.

The idea behind the therapy is that immunity can be transferred from a healthy person to a sick patient using convalescent plasma.

Once the blood plasma of the recovered patient is infused with that of the second patient, the antibodies start fighting against coronavirus in the second person's body.

The process of donating plasma is similar to that of donating blood and takes about an hour.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had recently asked the state's medical authorities to promote plasma therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 patients after examining its efficacy.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recently allowed states to start clinical trials of plasma therapy.

Many states like Kerala, Gujarat and Punjab have already started using it for treatment of coronavirus patients.

Several other countries including the United Kingdom and the United States have also started plasma therapy trials.

Meanwhile, a notice was served on Kapoor on Monday regarding a first information report registered against her for negligence and committing acts likely to spread a disease dangerous to life, police said.

She has been asked to report at Sarojini Nagar Police Station on April 30 and record her statement, they said.

"The notice has been served on Kapoor and she has been asked to visit Sarojini Nagar Police Station, where an FIR under Indian Penal Code Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) was registered against her on March 20," a senior police official said in Lucknow.

"If the notice is not followed, the accused could be arrested and produced to the court," he said.

The FIR was lodged on a complaint of the Lucknow chief medical officer.

Kapoor was booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police for negligence and committing acts that were likely to spread the infection after she attended at least three gatherings in Lucknow, including a party where political personalities, including senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and her son, Dushyant Singh, were present.