The NHS Blood and Transplant Service is asking for people who’ve recovered from coronavirus (COVID-19) to donate blood plasma, as part of a potential clinical trial into the effectiveness of convalescent plasma (plasma from people who’ve had coronavirus) for treating coronavirus patients to help with the national effort against the virus.
It is asking for people who have had a positive test result for COVID-19, or have had symptoms of COVID-19, to register to donate plasma at one of its main donor centres.
Convalescent plasma can only be donated by someone who has had the virus. It is also important that donors have fully recovered from COVID-19, and that their body has had time to develop a good antibody response.
The NHS Blood and Transplant Service is currently collecting plasma no sooner than 28 days after recovery.
Eligibility criteria include:
- be between 17 and 66 years old
- weigh between 50kg and 158kg
- not be pregnant, or had a baby, miscarriage or termination within six months
- not have an existing or previous heart condition
- not have had a transfusion since 1st January 1980.
Registration is available on the NHS Blood and Transplant website.
Convalescent plasma is the antibody-rich plasma of someone who has recovered from a virus, in this case COVID-19.
The NHS Blood and Transplant Service is starting to collect COVID-19 convalescent plasma in the hope that this will be initially used in trials as a possible treatment for COVID-19. If approved, the trials will investigate whether convalescent plasma transfusions could improve a COVID-19 patient’s speed of recovery and chances of survival.
The NHS Blood and Transplant Service will also be collecting convalescent plasma so that, should the trials shows improved outcomes, then they will be in a position to supply this treatment to hospitals more widely.
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