While the bed situation in Delhi has improved, a lack of blood plasma has emerged as a key concern.

Plasma therapy involves sourcing plasma from a patient who has recovered from Covid-19 and then administering it to another coronavirus patient with the same blood group to help speed up his recovery.

Many family members of Covid-19 patients in recent weeks have taken to social media in a desperate bid to seek donors, prompting some civil society organisations like Charity Beds to step in and coordinate plasma recipients and donors.

"But amid the rising demand for donors, the work of a few organisations to find donors has not been enough," Mr Gagan D. Bharti, the manager of Charity Beds, told The Straits Times.

Following growing demand, the Delhi government announced the creation of a blood plasma bank yesterday. Welcoming the decision, Mr Bharti said the database should be maintained according to different geographical zones so that donors do not have to go too far amid the pandemic.

Debarshi Dasgupta