First Covid-19 patient to receive plasma fully recovers.

HYDERABAD -- The first Covid-19 patient, who had received plasma therapy, has fully recovered at isolation ward in Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) and is ready to be discharged as 62 more people tested positive for coronavirus in Larkana and one retired army man was found to have the contagion in Umerkot on Thursday.

The patient whose successful recovery has kindled hope in other critically ill Covid-19 patients was donated the plasma by a cured patient on May 3. 'The patient's first sample was taken on May 13 and then another was collected on May 14 and both Alhamdolillah turned out to be negative. We are now in the process of discharging him from Covid-9 isolation ward. But he will have to stay in the hospital's medicine intensive care unit (ICU) in view of his co-morbidities,' said LUH focal person for Covid-19 Dr Aftab Hussain Phull on Thursday.

After having recovered the patient has become the first to successfully receive plasma therapy in LUH after its clinical trial was approved by Sindh government in April as a part of passive immunisation suggested by noted hematologist Dr Tahir Shamsi.

'After convalescent plasma therapy on May 3 under government permission for clinical trial on experimental basis the patient's condition had improved considerably, otherwise he had been serious,' said Dr Aftab.

Two more patients were to be administered the plasma but one of them, died on Wednesday night at LUH isolation ward before being able to get the plasma while the other, a 62-year-old woman from Naushahro Feroze, was being administered the plasma at LUH.

Over 60 more contract virus in Larkana alone

LARKANA: As many as 62 people tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, raising the total number of patients to 273 in the district, according to Covid-19 control room. Unfortunately, 30 of them reported in Khichi mohalla locality after six mysterious deaths occurred in the area one after another prompting the district administration and the health department to collect bulk samples.

Subsequently 105 samples were taken and of them 30 tested positive for Covid-19. The locality had already been sealed before collecting the samples. It had become the second hotspot for the virus after Dari and Nawantak localities in the city, said health officials.

Meanwhile, a Covid-19 patient at the isolation centre in Bibi Aseefa Dental College tested negative for the virus on Thursday in his fourth test.

SUKKUR: Eight more persons tested positive for the...