Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr Rajendra K V said that plasma therapy will begin in Wenlock Hospital shortly.
The machinery is being procured for plasma separation and other procedures. A building has been identified for setting up the unit, he said during a phone-in programme organised by Prajavani, the sister publication of Deccan Herald on Saturday.
The authorities have already applied for a license, seeking permission to launch plasma therapy. Once the machinery is installed, officials will conduct an inspection before issuing the license.
'Tests increased'
The deputy commissioner said that to check the spread of Covid-19, tests have been increased in Dakshina Kannada district. The public need not panic about the increase in the number of fresh cases.
Increasing the tests will help in preventing Covid fatalities. There is a need to segregate the infected from the non-infected to check the spread of the infection. The district is carrying out nearly 2,000 tests per day, he added.
A decentralised system of contact tracing of the infected had been initiated by making use of the services of teachers and others from the education department.
There are 51 mobile antigen testing teams in the district. A majority of the teams are in Mangaluru and Bantwal taluks, carrying out the tests, where more number of cases had been recorded.
Already 80% of the infected have recovered from the infection. Of the total Covid fatalities, a majority of the deaths are due to comorbidities in patients, he said.
In a bid to check the spread of Covid-19, the public should also wear masks compulsorily and maintain social distancing, he appealed.