MOSCOW, June 15. /TASS/: About 50% of seriously ill coronavirus patients began recovering after blood plasma infusion, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said during his visit to сity сlinical hospital No. 52 Monday.
"As the doctors told me, 50% of [infected] people who for sure would have been placed in the intensive care unit, began recovering after infusion of blood plasma with antibodies. This is great. An unexpected turn we owe to the blood service, which was always needed and always saved people," the Mayor said.
He noted that the Moscow blood service is one of the biggest and most efficient in the world, as the city provides its own supply of blood and other transfusion materials. The Mayor also congratulated city residents and medical workers on the Blood Donor Day.
"I would like to congratulate both the donors and the medics on the Donor Day and to thank over 80,000 Moscow residents who donate blood every year, saving those ill and contributing enormously to their recuperation. Special thanks to those who donate the blood plasma with antibodies, which saves people with severe coronavirus cases. Thanks to the medics that have established the blood service: the office at hospital No. 52 is one of Moscow’s oldest, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year," Sobyanin said.
According to the Mayor’s Office press service, over 160,000 liters of whole blood are being stored in Moscow every year, with about 200 liters distributed to medical organizations every day. Last year, about 86,700 people became blood donors, 83,300 of whom donated blood for free. Of those, 38,400 became first-time donors.
"More donors chose donation of thrombocytes; there were over 5,500 such donors last year, with the yearly increase of up to 15%. In 2019, over 186,200 donations of blood and its components were performed. This volume makes it possible to satisfy the demand of medical organizations in quality blood components," the press service said.
