Turkish doctor to donate plasma after beating virus

CANAKKALE, Turkey

A Turkish physician will become an immune plasma donor after beating the novel coronavirus to help other patients.

Ufuk Tali, a chief physician at Canakkale State Hospital in western Turkey, recalled his fight with the novel virus.

At the start of the epidemic, they decided to close two sections at the hospital.

“Unfortunately, I was infected during this process. My test results came positive,” he said.

Tali’s treatment continued at home as he felt weak, and slightly “lost my taste and smell.”

Health workers need two positive coronavirus tests to return to their workplace and these tests are conducted every 48 hours.

“I put my mask on and returned to work at the field with my fellow healthcare professionals after my tests came negative,” he added.

The Turkish doctor called on everyone who recovered from the virus to become a plasma donor.

Tali said: “I will donate my plasma when this [mandatory 14-day] period ends for me next week.”

Earlier this week, the head of Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) Kerem Kinik said that over 1,000 coronavirus patients in Turkey are hoping to benefit from possibly life-saving immune plasma treatment from the aid group.

Immune plasma is currently known to be the strongest weapon against the virus, he said, and very few citizens refused to donate plasma.

Double feast at end of Ramadan

Tali welcomed the drop in new cases and urged people to continue adopting social distancing measures.

Recalling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks that Turkey will have a double feast at the end of Ramadan by overcoming the epidemic, Tali said: “I hope to get through the process in the best way possible without compromising the [positive] figures.”

“I got through this disease. That’s why, I do not want any of our citizens, brothers, and friends to live through this. It's a really troubling process,” he added.

Turkey has so far reported 117,589 COVID-19 cases and the death toll stands at 3,081.

After originating in China last December, the coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed nearly 228,000 people, with total infections exceeding 3.2 million, while more than 983,500 have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.