OneBlood seeking convalescent plasma donations

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered could save lives. The nonprofit blood donation center OneBlood wants their plasma.

"The treatment is called 'COVID-19 convalescent plasma' and it’s an experimental treatment that the FDA has given emergency permission to be used in critically ill patients with the coronavirus," said OneBlood Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations Susan Forbes.

Patients who have recovered from the virus have plasma that's full of coronavirus antibodies. Transfused into someone suffering, that plasma may be a game-changer.

OneBlood uses specialized equipment to take blood, separate and keep plasma and return red blood cells to donors. The process takes about an hour.

To donate, you have to meet blood donation criteria and additional criteria from the FDA, including: 

COVID-19 convalescent plasma must only be collected from recovered individuals if they are eligible to donate blood

Required testing must be performed and the donation must be found suitable

Prior diagnosis of COVID-19 documented by a laboratory test

Complete resolution of symptoms at least 14 days prior to donation

Have a negative result for COVID-19

Meet all standard FDA blood donation requirements

As with all transfusions, the donor and the patient will need to have compatible blood types

To learn more about plasma donation through OneBlood, visit their webpage on the convalescent plasma program.