Recovered COVID-19 patients encouraged
to donate plasma
April 15, 2020
Sheila Harris
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is encouraging people who are fully recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma, with the aim of helping current COVID-19 patients.
In southwest Missouri, both CoxHealth and Mercy Hospitals are participating in the plasma-donation program currently being investigated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as a viable means of treating patients who are currently suffering from the virus.
Sonya Kullman, Media Relations and Communications Manager for Mercy, is excited about the possibilities for the therapy.
"In our area, people like to give," she said. "Yesterday, we had a recovered COVID-19 patient in our four-state region in Oklahoma step forward to offer his plasma as a means of helping others fighting the virus," she said. "Today, we've had word that another recovered patient in Springfield would like to donate, although we'll need to follow up with them for confirmation."
"Although we don't currently have as many COVID-19 patients in counties southwest of Springfield, it's nice to know that this type of therapy may become available if it's needed," she continued.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, historically, convalescent plasma has been used to prevent or treat new viral diseases, when other treatments or vaccines were not available. People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that have the potential to work against the virus. The plasma obtained from the blood of people who recovered from COVID-19 (convalescent plasma) is being evaluated as treatment for hospitalized patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections, or those judged by a healthcare provider to be at high risk of progression to severe or life-threatening disease. Blood specimens may also be used to better understand patients’ immune responses to COVID-19 to assist development of new therapies and vaccines.
Once collected, convalescent plasma will be distributed to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. Treating physicians identify appropriate recipients and patients must consent to the treatment. After the patient is transfused, caregivers must track and, as required, report data such as improvements or reactions.
Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be effective specifically in treating COVID-19. The FDA’s COVID investigational new drug and expanded access programs allow providers at participating hospitals to treat patients with or at risk of severe/life-threatening illness. Clinical trials and data-driven research studying convalescent plasma and other possible COVID treatments are also underway at research centers across the country, including through Mercy Research.
Mercy works with many blood collection agencies across its four states. The various agencies are contacting eligible donors. However, if you haven’t been contacted and have a positive COVID-19 test in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, please reach out to Community Blood Center of the Ozarks at 417-227-5000 or 800-280-5337, or cbco.org.
Recovered COVID-19 patients who are interested in donating plasma can also reach out to CoxHealth in Springfield at [email protected], 417-269-6756.
Physicians can also register patients, or patients may register at:
www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-donations-from-recovered-covid-19-patients.html#donorform
Plasma donations will be unpaid and strictly voluntary.
According to Kullman, eligible candidates for donation:
• Must be over the age of 18.
• Must not be pregnant.
• Must have had a previous positive COVID-19 test.
• Must have been free from COVID-19 symptoms for at least 14 days.
If a patient has been symptom-free for 14 days, a second COVID-19 test will be administered to verify that a patient is no longer contagious.
If a patient has been symptom-free for 28 days, a second test will not be required.
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact the nearest participating provider for further instructions.
When asked if people who suspect they may have had undiagnosed COVID-19, then recovered, could be tested as possible plasma donors, Kullman said she thought it was a great idea, but, at this time, test kits for antibodies were not widely available.
Senators Lamar Alexander and Roy Blunt are currently working to change the situation.
“We are dealing not just with a medical issue here,” they said. “We are dealing with an issue of confidence. For weeks, Americans have watched 24/7 news coverage of the dangers of COVID-19. Even if the government says you can go back to work and back to school, many Americans may be reluctant to leave their homes. The availability of two types of free tests—one, a diagnostic test to determine if you have COVID-19, and two, an antibodies test to determine whether you have had it and are likely immune, at least for the short term—will give Americans confidence that it is safe to go back to work and to school and restart the economy.”
The senators said the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, enacted two weeks ago, specifically allows free tests for every American to determine whether they currently have COVID-19. They said the law also gives Secretary Azar the authority to make a second kind of test free that will determine whether someone has had the disease and therefore is likely immune, at least for a short time. Last Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first such antibodies test and expects additional tests to detect antibodies to be developed and available for patients. Soon, antibody tests will be available at a local pharmacy or a doctor’s office and only require a pin prick of blood from your finger.
Sheila Harris
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is encouraging people who are fully recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma, with the aim of helping current COVID-19 patients.
In southwest Missouri, both CoxHealth and Mercy Hospitals are participating in the plasma-donation program currently being investigated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as a viable means of treating patients who are currently suffering from the virus.
Sonya Kullman, Media Relations and Communications Manager for Mercy, is excited about the possibilities for the therapy.
"In our area, people like to give," she said. "Yesterday, we had a recovered COVID-19 patient in our four-state region in Oklahoma step forward to offer his plasma as a means of helping others fighting the virus," she said. "Today, we've had word that another recovered patient in Springfield would like to donate, although we'll need to follow up with them for confirmation."
"Although we don't currently have as many COVID-19 patients in counties southwest of Springfield, it's nice to know that this type of therapy may become available if it's needed," she continued.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, historically, convalescent plasma has been used to prevent or treat new viral diseases, when other treatments or vaccines were not available. People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that have the potential to work against the virus. The plasma obtained from the blood of people who recovered from COVID-19 (convalescent plasma) is being evaluated as treatment for hospitalized patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections, or those judged by a healthcare provider to be at high risk of progression to severe or life-threatening disease. Blood specimens may also be used to better understand patients’ immune responses to COVID-19 to assist development of new therapies and vaccines.
Once collected, convalescent plasma will be distributed to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. Treating physicians identify appropriate recipients and patients must consent to the treatment. After the patient is transfused, caregivers must track and, as required, report data such as improvements or reactions.
Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be effective specifically in treating COVID-19. The FDA’s COVID investigational new drug and expanded access programs allow providers at participating hospitals to treat patients with or at risk of severe/life-threatening illness. Clinical trials and data-driven research studying convalescent plasma and other possible COVID treatments are also underway at research centers across the country, including through Mercy Research.
Mercy works with many blood collection agencies across its four states. The various agencies are contacting eligible donors. However, if you haven’t been contacted and have a positive COVID-19 test in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, please reach out to Community Blood Center of the Ozarks at 417-227-5000 or 800-280-5337, or cbco.org.
Recovered COVID-19 patients who are interested in donating plasma can also reach out to CoxHealth in Springfield at [email protected], 417-269-6756.
Physicians can also register patients, or patients may register at:
www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-donations-from-recovered-covid-19-patients.html#donorform
Plasma donations will be unpaid and strictly voluntary.
According to Kullman, eligible candidates for donation:
• Must be over the age of 18.
• Must not be pregnant.
• Must have had a previous positive COVID-19 test.
• Must have been free from COVID-19 symptoms for at least 14 days.
If a patient has been symptom-free for 14 days, a second COVID-19 test will be administered to verify that a patient is no longer contagious.
If a patient has been symptom-free for 28 days, a second test will not be required.
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact the nearest participating provider for further instructions.
When asked if people who suspect they may have had undiagnosed COVID-19, then recovered, could be tested as possible plasma donors, Kullman said she thought it was a great idea, but, at this time, test kits for antibodies were not widely available.
Senators Lamar Alexander and Roy Blunt are currently working to change the situation.
“We are dealing not just with a medical issue here,” they said. “We are dealing with an issue of confidence. For weeks, Americans have watched 24/7 news coverage of the dangers of COVID-19. Even if the government says you can go back to work and back to school, many Americans may be reluctant to leave their homes. The availability of two types of free tests—one, a diagnostic test to determine if you have COVID-19, and two, an antibodies test to determine whether you have had it and are likely immune, at least for the short term—will give Americans confidence that it is safe to go back to work and to school and restart the economy.”
The senators said the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, enacted two weeks ago, specifically allows free tests for every American to determine whether they currently have COVID-19. They said the law also gives Secretary Azar the authority to make a second kind of test free that will determine whether someone has had the disease and therefore is likely immune, at least for a short time. Last Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first such antibodies test and expects additional tests to detect antibodies to be developed and available for patients. Soon, antibody tests will be available at a local pharmacy or a doctor’s office and only require a pin prick of blood from your finger.
