LifeSouth is calling on recovered COVID-19 patients in Florida, Georgia and Alabama to donate plasma.
The blood bank says the collected plasma will be sent to medical centers in the three states to treat people who are critically ill with the coronavirus.
Plasma is the clear liquid that’s left after the red and white blood cells and platelets have been removed.
Some researchers have said platelets contain antibodies that could help fight the virus.
Related: Local, State, And National Coronavirus Coverage
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating plasma as a treatment for COVID-19.
LifeSouth, which has blood donation centers in Jacksonville and Gainesville, is partnering with medical centers in Florida, Georgia and Alabama to collect plasma from COVID-19 patients who have recovered from the virus, to transfuse to patients with COVID-19 to help with recovery.
Recovered COVID-19 patients who were tested and found positive, can donate plasma if they have not had symptoms for at least 14 days and test negative by a lab, or after 28 days without symptoms with no follow-up testing required.
Interested potential donors should email mailto:medicaloffice@lifesouth.org or call 888-795-2707.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.
