MACON, Ga. — The American Red Cross is asking for plasma donations from people who have fully recovered from COVID-19.
The United States Food and Drug Administration says those samples contain antibodies that could help fight the virus.
Right now, there is no cure or vaccine for coronavirus, but according to the FDA, convalescent plasma transfer has been studied in outbreaks of other respiratory infections in the past like H1N1, SARS and MERS.
The FDA is currently running clinical trials to determine if it's safe and effective for COVID-19 patients too.
If you had a confirmed diagnosis and have been symptom-free for at least 14 days, you can apply to donate plasma online like 28-year old Jordan Josey.
13WMAZ spoke to Josey last week after he spent 10 days battling the intense illness.
"If I can give some of my antibodies out to help other people avoid this. I will gladly do it. I will gladly share what information I have. I just want to be helpful to the most that I am able," said Josey.
If you've recovered from COVID-19 and you'd like to apply to donate plasma, click here.
If you're healthy and would like to apply to donate blood, click here.
Kirk and Kristen West also spoke to 13WMAZ last week about their road to recovery and plan to donate plasma once they're fully healed.
"Anything we can do to keep people from dying, keep people from getting sick, or help people get better-- is what I think we should all be concentrating on," says Kristen. "If I can give plasma or have somebody look at my blood in some kind of research, I'm happy to do that."
Dr. Jeff Stephens, Medical Director of Infection Prevention for Navicent Health and Medical Director of Infectious Disease for Coliseum Health System, said sent 13WMAZ the following statement about plasma transfusions:
"Plasma therapy has been used successfully in the past. It was a therapy for pneumococcal pneumonia prior to antibiotics being developed, and the use of immunoglobulin for different indications is common. That said, there is still a lot of research to be done one the use of plasma for the treatment of COVID-19. While it may be helpful, it may not be a panacea.”
The American Red Cross released the following statement regarding plasma collection:
“We know this is an uncertain and trying time for many across the country as the nation works to respond to this public health crisis. On March 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new initiative to collect plasma from those who have recovered from this new coronavirus to treat patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections.
The American Red Cross believes that this effort is necessary and urgent to enable rapid access to potentially lifesaving care for those seriously ill. Historically, convalescent plasma was used as a treatment when new diseases or infections developed quickly, and no treatments or vaccines were available yet.
The Red Cross has been asked by the FDA to help identify prospective donors and manage the distribution of these products to hospitals treating patients in need. Currently, we are collaborating with FDA to develop a process to identify and qualify individuals who have recovered from the virus and have antibodies that may help patients seriously ill with COVID-19 in their recovery. On March 30, we established a new webpage, RedCrossBlood.org/plasma4covid, to help collect prospective donor information. Eligible donors who submit their information will receive an appointment to donate convalescent plasma at a Red Cross or non-Red Cross collection site.
The safety of our staff, donors and ultimate recipients remains our top priority. Only those individuals who have recovered fully from COVID-19 are eligible to donate therapeutic plasma.
We look forward to continuing to work with the FDA and other stakeholders to support this new development in the fight against COVID-19”
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