TULSA, Okla. — The Oklahoma Blood Institute reached a milestone by sending out its 10,000th convalescent plasma unit this week in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
The nonprofit began collecting convalescent plasma in early April. OBI officials said it took three months for OBI to distribute its first thousand units of convalescent plasma, but it took just a week to distribute the last thousand units.
We’ve seen demand for convalescent plasma increase exponentially as our community hospitals grapple with an enormous surge of COVID-19 patients. We have collected convalescent plasma from more than 1,530 donors so far—many coming in to give multiple times, but we need plenty more to come forward if we are to continue meeting the skyrocketing demand. The fact that our blood center has surpassed 10,000 hospital requests for this product shows just how essential it and its source donors are.
Those who have recovered from COVID-19 – or who have tested positive for the antibodies – are eligible to give convalescent plasma, according to OBI officials. A single plasma donation can provide transfusions for up to four COVID-19 patients. A donation takes about 90 minutes, and donors are eligible as often as every seven days.
To donate convalescent plasma, donors must:
- have had a positive COVID-19 test result
- be symptom-free for 14 days
- be at least 7 days past their last blood or plasma donation
To sign up for the convalescent plasma registry, call 888-308-3924 or click here.
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