Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says coronavirus plasma therapy clinical trials to continue, buses to Kota to bring back students

New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government is sending 40 buses on Friday (May 1) to Kota in Rajasthan to bring back its students. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today shared the news on Twitter, writing, "Delhi govt is making arrangements to soon bring Delhi students back home from Kota." He also stated that students returning from Kota will have to go into self-quarantine for 14 days.

He announced that he is in touch with other state governments on the movement of migrant workers.

The Chief Minister also said plasma therapy was administered to a few COVID-19 patients and the initial results have been good. "We were permitted by the Centre for the trial of plasma therapy at LNJP hospital. We administered it to a few patients. The first one among them was discharged after he made recovery. He was critical and in ICU but was discharged on Thursday. Initial results of the therapy are good," he said.

Delhi will continue the trail of Plasma therapy as it has approval from the Centre. "The Centre has only said that Plasma is on trial and it is not an official treatment. Delhi will continue the plasma trial as we have approval from the Centre," he said while speaking to the media.

"I feel happy that around 1,100 people who have recovered in Delhi, we are getting in touch with them. Almost all of them are ready to donate plasma. I thank all those who have recovered and donating their plasma," Kejriwal stated. 

Maharashtra and West Bengal are among other states which have decided to bring back their students stranded in Kota, the coaching hub for engineering and medical aspirants.

The officers of the Delhi government are in talks with their Rajasthan counterparts, deliberating on the evacuation plan. A list of the stranded Delhi students is being prepared. The estimated number of such students is around 1,000, said the official.

"The Delhi government and police are working on preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) on the movement of migrant labourers and other stranded people during the lockdown in pursuance of the Union Home Ministry guidelines on the matter," an official said.

"We are in talks with states and sought the number of migrant workers and stranded people in Delhi. We will then make arrangements for medical camps for the screening of these people accordingly," he said.

The government has also appointed nodal officers to address issues related to migrant workers.

The Delhi government has directed hospitals and clinics, especially in the private sector, to ensure that patients needing critical healthcare such as dialysis, blood transfusion and chemotherapy are not denied such services amid the ongoing lockdown.

In another order, the Delhi government identified two more private hospitals for treatment of coronavirus patients in case of "shortage of isolation beds".

In an order on April 29, the MHA allowed migrant workers, tourists, students and other people, who are stranded in different parts of the country, to move to their respective destinations with certain conditions.

The order stated that buses shall be used for transport of such groups of stranded people and these vehicles will be sanitised and will have to follow safe social distancing norms in seating.