NORTH CAROLINA -- As people recover from COVID-19, they can contribute to the treatment of others suffering from the virus.
Donation centers, like Oneblood and CSL Plasma are encouraging people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma to help others win their battle with the virus. The FDA gave emergency permission for hospitals to use convalescent plasma as an experimental procedure in March.
Oneblood says people who've recovered have COVID-19 antibodies in their plasma that can boost a patient's immune system to fight the virus. The non-profit organization says one donation can help up to three people.
To donate, you must have confirmation of your COVID-19 positive diagnosis from an FDA approved lab test, no symptoms for 14 days, and a documented negative test, or have no symptoms for 29 days without a documented negative test.
It works much like giving blood, so the organization suggests eating leafy greens and staying hydrated before donating, but plasma donations do take longer. Plan on being there for an hour or more.
You can find more details about donation requirements and the process at oneblood.org.