Recovered COVID-19 patients donate convalescent plasma at San Diego Blood Bank  

SAN DIEGO – San Diego Blood Bank sees first convalescent plasma donors step up to help patients in critical condition. One donation can support multiple patients. To date, 17 units have been sent to help patients fighting COVID-19.

Friends David Rodman and Tim Callan contracted COVID-19 on a group ski trip. When Callan heard about the opportunity to donate, he called up Rodman and brought him to the donor center. Together, their donations can help as many as eight people fight this virus.

Alena Silberman, a New York City resident, recently came to San Diego to visit family in Solana Beach. She said she may have contracted the virus before landing in San Diego and plans to donate more convalescent plasma locally and in New York.

Robert Spears first heard of convalescent plasma when a friend on the East Coast received plasma as an investigational new drug to treat COVID-19. Spears said he was excited for this unique opportunity to help others with this virus.

San Diego Blood Bank recently issued a call for recovered COVID-19 patients to help treat patients fighting the virus. While COVID-19 has no proven treatment, plasma taken from those who have recovered may help patients currently fighting the virus. The plasma has developed antibodies against the virus.  Experience with historical infectious diseases, including the Spanish flu, sudden acute respiratory syndrome, Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome and influenza H1N1 have shown that convalescent plasma can be a beneficial viral treatment and prophylactic medicine.

Dr. Mark Edmunds, chief medical officer of the San Diego Blood Bank, said, "I look forward to advancing the COVID-19 treatment and research efforts of our hospital providers and offering new hope to the COVID-19 patients we serve. Our efforts place SDBB at the leading edge of transfusion medicine in the face of this pandemic."

San Diego Blood Bank has created a form where people can submit their contact information to qualify for convalescent plasma donation.

"I think so many of us are eager to be of service at this time," Silberman said. "As soon as I learned about the plasma donation process, I applied right away. It felt like a no-brainer to me."

Individuals can donate convalescent plasma if they have a confirmed positive laboratory test and no symptoms for the last 28 days. People with a subsequent confirmed negative test can donate after 14 days of symptom resolution. People are encouraged to fill out the form even if they have not yet been tested since antibody tests will be available in the future.

To submit contact information to be qualified as a convalescent plasma donor, visit https://www.sandiegobloodbank.org/donateplasma. Donors will also need to meet routine donor screening criteria.

To make an appointment to donate blood or make a financial donation, visit https://www.SanDiegoBloodBank.org. Donors must be 17 years or older, weigh a minimum of 114 pounds and be in general good health.   

Submitted by San Diego Blood Bank.