Sherae Honeycutt

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Original Post

Plasma donations might be a key in helping people recover from the coronavirus.

On Monday, the FDA cleared the way for the treatment of people suffering from COVID-19 using plasma.

Centers across the state are starting to collect from people who already caught the virus.

The Community Blood Center of Kanas City is one location that’s asking for the public’s help to collect donations for hospitals across the metro to use. Dr. Jed Gorlin with the organization said plasma helps patients by building antibodies.

“If we can get plasma into somebody before they have a chance to make their own antibodies,” Gorlin said, “maybe it will give them a jump start on fighting off infection — or at least that’s the hope.”

The center started taking applications Wednesday, and if you would like to help, you need to sign up online.

Candidates should have already recovered from COVID-19, and not shown any symptoms in 14 days. You will need to provide documentation of a positive test from the time of your diagnosis.

If selected, you can donate plasma like you normally would with social distancing guidelines put in place.

“We do that by having time between appointments and space between donors,” Gorlin said. “And so by having those fixed appointments, that allows us to safely collect the donor, and you still get a good cookie.”

The American Red Cross Blood Services is also offering resources to donate. They don’t have a donation location in Kansas City but can direct you were is best to go. They’re also working with outside organizations to make sure people who want to donate can.

“If there are people who have recovered from COVID-19, please fill out that online form, and we’ll be in touch and hopefully they meet the requirements,” said Joe Zydlo with the American Red Cross. “We can get them in there to help someone in the community who needs it.”

“If we can provide at least some antibodies before your own body could make them,” Gorlin said, “it’s just giving you a few days head start on beating up, you know, beating the virus back off.”

If you would like more information on how to donate plasma through the Red Cross, you can learn more here.