Guwahati, Jul 17 (IANS): In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, the Assam government would soon launch a mega drive to boost its plasma bank reserves for the treatment of coronavirus positive patients, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.

Sarma said that the state government would launch a nationwide campaign and would take all out initiatives to encourage the people to voluntarily donate the plasma to save the lives of the people infected by coronavirus."

Plasma therapy has been found to be very effective in the US and other countries. If any people staying outside the state and kin to donate plasma, the government would bear their travel and accomodation expenditure.

Displaying their exemplary dedication, some doctors in Assam while doing treatment to the COVID-19 patients, become infected with the virus and after being recovered from the disease, voluntarily donated their plasma to save the lives of the people contaminated by the coronavirus.

"One people by donating their plasma can save the lives of at least two people," the Minister told the media.

Plasma bank started in Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) earlier this month and six centres of the bank are working in the six medical colleges across the state.

A doctor, who was recently recovered from the dreaded disease, first donated his plasma followed by other doctors and some other people.

He said that as part of the state government's aggressive treatment in consultation with premier and prominent health institutions of India including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, the doctors in Assam have administered various available therapy and medicines including COVID-19 drug Remdesivir and oxygen therapy.

Sarma said that to tame the rising spike of the COVID-19 cases in Assam's main city of Guwahati, the health authorities have taken steps for conducting three lakh tests in the city and already 1.10 lakh tests were done.

The state government has extended the "total lockdown" in the Kamrup (Metro) district, for one more week till July 19, after the 14-day shutdown ended on Sunday. With a population of 11.20 lakh, the Guwahati city is the district headquarters of the Kamrup (Metro) district and main commercial hub of the northeastern region.

Of the total of Assam's 19,754 COVID-19 positive cases so far, over 8,500 cases found alone in the Kamrup (Metro) district. Assam has 33 districts. Of the 50 deaths due to the corinavirus in Assam so far, 25 deaths took place in the Kamrup (Metro) district.

The Health Minister said that Assam has so far conducted 601,385 tests in 13 laboratories and the testing ratio would be increased to a large extent with the setting up of the six more labs. With the testing of 17,800 samples per million, Assam stands fourth among the major states in the country after Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

In Assam, out of the total 19,754 COVID-19 positive patients so far, 13,554 have recovered and on late Thursday night there were 6,147 active cases.