Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.
At any time of the year, there is a need for blood donors. During this time of year, when we are fighting the coronavirus pandemic, there is a particularly great need for blood donors.
OneBlood is now actively seeking willing donors who have recovered from the COVID-19 virus to serve as plasma donors. These donors have the ability to make a life and death difference for someone who is fighting the disease. Those who have successfully recovered from COVID-19 have likely built up antibodies against the virus in their blood. These antibodies not only help keep that person from being infected again, they can also be helpful in assisting another patient who is currently fighting the disease.
Through a process called convalescent plasma donation, plasma (the clear “liquid” part of the blood) from a former COVID-19 patient is separated and given to a current patient. The antibodies in that plasma help to fight the virus in the sick person. This has been one of the coronavirus treatments that has shown great success.
According to OneBlood, there are certain requirements for anyone interested in participating in a convalescent plasma donation. A donor must meet all the required screening criteria for blood donation and the additional Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria:
• Prior diagnosis of COVID-19 documented by an FDA approved laboratory test, hospital letter or antibody test results
• Complete resolution of symptoms at least 14 days prior to donation and a documented negative COVID-19 FDA approved test OR
• Complete resolution of symptoms at least 28 days prior to donation
If you, or someone you know, has recovered from COVID-19, please consider helping to save a life by donating plasma. The donation can be done either by a regular blood donation or by a special process called plasmapheresis. More information about convalescent plasma donation and whole blood donation can be found at oneblood.org.
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