Increased patient use of O+POSITIVE blood has caused an increased need for donors. Donate now!
This is part of an investigational initiative approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of seriously ill patients fighting COVID-19.
Antibodies from convalescent plasma could help patients “fight off’ severe viral infections. This is the same kind of therapy that was used to combat SARS and MERS with some success.
We request potential donors please enroll in Louisiana’s registry at tbc.bio-linked.org. Bio-Linked allows users to submit confidential health and social information via a secure site and to list themselves as potential volunteers for investigational medical treatment. Once qualified, plasma will be drawn, with each donor providing up to three therapeutic plasma doses.
To provide convalescent plasma, donors must be eligible to donate blood and meet the criteria below:
- Prior diagnosis of COVID-19, documented by a laboratory test
- Positive Antibody result from your blood donation at The Blood Center.
- Symptom-free for 14 days prior to donation
- If you have had any of the COVID-19 vaccines, you are not eligible to donate CCP
- Once approved for CCP donations, The Blood Center will contact donors to schedule their donations. Donations can only be made at one of our open Donor Centers or at our CCP Facility on Canal St (New Orleans).
The Blood Center is not testing for active COVID-19 infection. In an effort to locate and recruit more potential Convalescent Plasma donors, all blood donations are being screened for COVID-19 Antibodies.
About the process: In a plasma donation, blood drawn from the donor’s arm goes first to a cell separator machine. The plasma is separated and sent to a collection bag, and the remaining components are returned to the donor. The entire process in total takes about 45 minutes and provides up three therapeutic plasma doses.
Questions? Contact:
Terri Duplessis-McCrea
(504) 592-1588
tduplessis@TheBloodCenter.org