As patients recover from COVID-19, the Blood Bank of Alaska is encouraging them to consider donating their plasma, which has antibodies that can help treat patients infected with the same disease.
This request comes from a nationwide effort from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to offer an additional form of treatment for critically ill patients of COVID-19. While clinical trials are currently being performed for widespread use of this treatment, the FDA has authorized patients with, or at risk of, severe or life-threatening COVID-19 disease to receive this treatment through an expanded access program. Donors must be fully recovered and provide valid documentation of their recovery.
Dr. Todd Ellerin, Director of Infectious Diseases at South Shore Hospital in Massachusetts: “The goal is that those antibodies will then attack the proteins, these spike proteins in the virus, and prevent the virus from entering the cell. This is to buy time until we get the vaccine.”
In addition to providing medical documentation showing that they have fully recovered from COVID-19, prospective convalescent plasma donors must meet all screening and eligibility requirements for regular blood donation. Prospective donors may contact the Blood Bank of Alaska at (907) 222-5630 for questions regarding eligibility.