{"id":114794,"date":"2020-10-22T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T13:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=114794"},"modified":"2023-11-03T11:24:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T15:24:28","slug":"if-youre-a-covid-19-survivor-consider-donating-your-blood-plasma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/if-youre-a-covid-19-survivor-consider-donating-your-blood-plasma\/","title":{"rendered":"If You\u2019re A COVID-19 Survivor, Consider Donating Your Blood Plasma"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you caught the COVID-19 virus and are now well, your illness and your strength can help others. In this week\u2019s health tip, we turn to Jane Gibson, an expert in molecular pathology and genetics at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Medicine<\/a>, on how convalescent plasma \u2014 blood plasma collected from people who have recovered from the coronavirus \u2014 can help boost the immunity of those currently infected.<\/p>\n

After you recover from COVID-19, your body contains antibodies to the disease that remain in the plasma of your blood. And the FDA has approved convalescent plasma \u2014 the process of transfusing a recovered person\u2019s plasma into a person critically ill with the coronavirus \u2014 as an experimental treatment. These added antibodies can boost the critically ill patient\u2019s immunity and reduce their body\u2019s infection load, reducing their risk of death. Convalescent plasma can also be used to manufacture hyperimmune globulin, a biological product that can also be used to treat patients with COVID-19.<\/p>\n

So as a COVID-19 survivor, how do you donate plasma? OneBlood, our state\u2019s not-for-profit blood center, has information and FAQs here<\/a>. There are several things you need to remember:<\/p>\n