GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As we’ve entered the fall season, there’s been an increase in confirmed coronavirus cases here in Michigan. That means an increase in efforts to treat people who have it.
At this point you’ve probably heard about the much talked about treatment called convalescent plasma.
That plasma, full of antibodies, is extracted from someone who has recovered from the virus, and given to hospitalized patients.
Recent demand has exceeded the donations coming in to Versiti Blood Center of Michigan. Requests from hospitals are up 50% from a month ago.
The Versiti vice president and senior medical director, Dr. Dan Waxman, said this is due to an increase in cases and use.
“It's going to be some time until we have a vaccine that's widespread, a vaccine that many, many people can take,” Dr. Waxman said. “And until we have that type of prevention, we're going to still see infections. You can see, especially with universities trying to open up, we've had some real spikes in university campuses. And hopefully many of these students don't have serious illness, but some do. Other patients are quite ill, and we still see a number of deaths every day. And so this is a very important therapy.”
Doctors and researchers are keeping a close eye on the progress of this promising treatment. Clinical trials are underway to determine how well convalescent plasma works, and what patients benefit the most.
In order to donate, you have to have a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and be symptom free for 14 days.
Dr. Waxman said a donor must be at least 18 years old, and can donate weekly up to 12 times. It takes around 30 to 40 minutes, and one donation can go to four patients.
For more information about COVID-19 plasma donation through Versiti, call 866-702-HOPE, or go to their website.
A full list of Michigan locations where you can donate, can be found here.
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.