Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the first patient from Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital to undergo plasma therapy has recovered.

The procedure involves the transfusion of blood plasma from a coronavirus patient who has recovered to another patient who is critically ill. “Trials are still going on. This is a positive and encouraging sign for our fight against coronavirus,” Kejriwal said.

However, on Friday, a 53-year-old man, the first patient to undergo plasma therapy in Maharashtra, died. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had said that there is no evidence yet to definitively say that plasma therapy can be used to treat coronavirus. “It is one of the therapies that is being experimented with,” Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal had said.

Kejriwal said they will “not stop clinical trials of plasma therapy as its initial results are good”. He clarified that only those having approvals from the central government should be conducting these trials.

Till Friday morning, Delhi recorded 3,515 cases and 59 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Kejriwal said his government has ramped up testing and was conducting 2,300 tests per one million people, adding that many containment zones are slowly opening up.

The Delhi chief minister said free ration being provided to the poor will be now doubled to 10 kg from the previous five kg.

Referring to students who are stranded in Kota city in Rajasthan, Kejriwal said the government was sending over 40 buses to bring them back and they should return by tomorrow. He said these students will have to go into self-quarantine for 14 days once they return.

Kejriwal said his government was in touch with various state governments to help migrant workers reach home. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an order allowing migrant workers, tourists, students and other people stranded in different parts of the country, to move to their respective destinations with certain conditions.

The order directed states to appoint nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for the movement of the stranded people by buses, while observing safety measures. It also said nodal authorities must register the stranded persons within their states and Union Territories.

The order stated that buses will be used for transportation of these stranded people. It said the vehicles will be sanitised and will have to follow safe social distancing norms in seating.