The need for blood: Call goes out for convalescent plasma candidates

Even in a time when social distancing and stay-at-home mandates are in effect, residents still are encouraged to donate blood, including a new call for convalescent plasma candidates, according to area blood supplier Vitalant.
Vitalant must take in 5,000 donations nationwide daily to keep up with its current blood supply, according to the company’s website.
The website says donations need to continue as experts are unsure when the pandemic will end, meaning there will be complications with collecting blood for the foreseeable future.
Blood drives make up an estimated 60% of Vitalant’s supply, and the company has lost about 5,000 pints of blood in this region in April and May due to cancelled mobile blood drives, according to Mitzi Breaux, marketing and communications manager for Vitalant’s Southeast Region.
Breaux said mobile blood drives have been canceled through May because they cannot be held in the units while simultaneously practicing social distancing.
“Until there are new practices in place in regard to social distancing, we won’t have our mobile blood drives to rely on,” she said.
While Vitalant has kept its blood supply because most hospitals have put on hold “elective surgeries” and there are fewer accidents as people stay idle, that will change once restrictions are lifted.
“When surgeries start happening again and people start moving around and accidents start occurring again, our blood usage is going to increase significantly almost overnight,” Breaux said.
Therefore, the public is encouraged to schedule multiple appointments to donate blood through year’s end, Breaux said.
Vitalant recently has begun a program to collect convalescent plasma to treat those with COVID-19.
The blood donations will be taken from patients who have recovered from the virus.
While there are no vaccines or proven treatments for COVID 19, Vitalant said in a release that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of convalescent plasma as an “emergency investigational new drug.”
“The hope is that the antibodies in their (recovered patients’) plasma, once transfused to a critically ill coronavirus patient, will help that patient combat and overcome the virus so that they can survive it,” Breaux said.
Donors wishing to participate in the program should have had a prior COVID-19 diagnosis documented by a lab test (however, it may be possible for those who recovered from the illness without an initial lab test to donate), be symptom-free for at least 14 days and meet all other FDA plasma donor eligibility requirements.
Donors who would like to participate should visit www.vitalant.org/covidfree, and they will be contacted about possible participation. No walk-ins are permitted. For more information, call 866-287-5762.
For those wishing to make a routine donation, appointments must be made on Vitalant’s website in order for the company to practice social distancing. Morgan City’s Vitalant office at 1234 David Drive, Suite 102, is open Monday through Friday.
“Right now, all blood types are needed,” Breaux said.
However, those who have left the United States in the last four weeks or been on a cruise should not donate until a month has passed since their return. Also, anyone who has had fever or COVID-19 symptoms or is around anyone ill or who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or showing its symptoms should not donate until they have been free of symptoms for 14 days.
Donors and staff wear masks and practice social distancing during the donations.
Blood donations do not compromise immune systems, according to Vitalant’s website.