GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As more and more cases of COVID-19 are reported, the search for ways to fight the virus become even more necessary.
There is a new Emergency Investigational Drug approved by the FDA that involves blood plasma and it's showing promise in helping those who are severely ill from the virus.
Versiti Blood Center of Michigan is involved in the research trial known as Convalescent Plasma Donation and will begin collecting plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to help treat others diagnosed with the virus.
This blood-related treatment could offer hope to the hundreds of patients who continue to be diagnosed. This treatment would be used by hospitals for the most severely affected patients.
Versiti blood centers is working with its partner hospitals in West Michigan to identify recovered patients. Donors would be referred to Versiti through hospitals, or the recovered patients’ physicians.
“The potential donors must first be proven to have had a COVID-19 diagnosis through a positive lab test result, and must then have a negative test result 14 days after recovering from symptoms,” said Versiti Senior Medical Director Dan A. Waxman, M.D. “It’s a very collaborative effort with our hospital partners who will be working to identify and verify the donors.”
Versiti will begin the coronavirus plasma collection program in early April. The donated plasma will be provided directly to the hospitals with whom Versiti is partnering.
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