COPAL 19: A mobile app to help COVID-19 patients connect with plasma donors

A new mobile app is being developed to fill the deficit of life-saving plasma required for thousands of critically ill patients. Read on to know more.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: July 2, 2020 11:16 am

The beta version of the app - COPAL 19 - was launched on Wednesday to honour the National Doctors Day.

Plasma therapy has emerged as a life saver for COVID-19 patients. In this treatment procedure, a doctor transfuses the antibody containing plasma from a recovered patient to another in a serious condition. When you recover from any infection, you develop antibodies that offer immunity for some time. It is the same with the COVID-19 infection too. Also Read - COVID-19: Use your electric cooker to sanitise your face mask in 50 minutes

In the wake of rising demand of plasma treatment, a pair of brothers – a doctor at AIIMS and an engineer at IIT Delhi – have developed a mobile application that would bring the needy and the donor of plasma on the same platform. The beta version of the app – COPAL 19 – was launched on Wednesday to honour the National Doctors Day. Also Read - COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 20,88,611 as death toll reaches 42,518

Dr Abhinav Singh, a neurosurgeon at AIIMS and the brain behind the app, said that the app would work as a bridge between the patients in need of plasma and donors. He said the purpose of this app is to fill the deficit of life-saving plasma required for thousands of critically ill patients. The only requirement for the donor is to complete the 28 days post-recovery from COVID-19 infection to become eligible for a plasma donation. Also Read - COVID-19: How people with mild symptoms should care for themselves during home isolation

App designed for ease of use

It is a very simple app with two options. Here users can register themselves as a donor or a patient. It keeps an automated record of the donors. The patient would have to place a request on the app for plasma, and he/she would be put in touch with the donor of the same blood group by the blood bank of the hospital. It is in the testing phase now and is being used only in AIIMS at present. According to Dr Abhinav, they are currently keeping a record of the patients receiving treatment at AIIMS and contacting the patients who have recovered from the hospital and are willing to become donors.

An open source product that can be customised

He also said that he had kept the app an open-source product. Any institution can copy the code and modify the application as per their requirement. However, they can use the current app as well. The idea of developing the app came after Dr Abhinav realised the difficulty that one faces to arrange plasma. While Dr Abhinav is the brain behind the app, his brother Tushar Singh, pursuing engineering at IIT, is the hand behind the app and he did the coding for it.

Users will have to provide minimum info for credential verification

The app contains the personal details of the patients. Recently, India banned dozens of apps which were harnessing personal information of users for their gains. When asked how the app would ensure the safety of the users’ data, Tushar said that the app would only demand the minimum required credentials of a user. Just the names, blood group, contact number and city of residence to build a profile is required from users. The app will demand no sensitive information of a user. It is the intermediary between the patient and the donor. The blood bank will facilitate contact between the patient and the donor. Their personal details will not be shared till the donation happens.