Give blood and get free antibody test
Drive will take place at Palm Beach Outlets mall
Roll up your sleeve for a good cause on Saturdays for the next four weeks in West Palm Beach.
Those who donate blood at the OneBlood drive — held at the Palm Beach Outlets mall — will also receive a free COVID-19 antibody test.
Donors will be able to get their test results about 48 hours after donating by logging in to OneBlood.org.
“The testing brings many benefits,” said Susan Forbes, a senior vice president at OneBlood.
“In addition to donors learning if they have the antibody, OneBlood will be identifying additional people who can be COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors.”
Convalescent plasma donors can help boost a patient’s immune system and potentially help them recover, researchers say. There is no cure or vaccine for coronavirus, but doctors have been turning to plasma with COVID-19 antibodies to help treat critically ill patients.
The blood drive will take place between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. May 30 and June 6, 13 and 20, in the parking lot near PetSmart at 1751 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.
Anyone who wants to donate must make an appointment in advance at OneBlood.org or by calling 888-936-6283.
Organizers will follow social distancing guidelines, and donors will be asked to wait either in their cars or outside the Big Red Bus until they are called.
Chairs for outside seating, as well as snacks and beverages, will be provided.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated the coronavirus poses no known risk to blood donors during the donation process or from attending blood drives.
FDA safety protocols include:
■ Wearing medical gloves for blood collections.
■ Wiping down donor beds, registration tablets, blood pressure cuffs, hemoglobin sensors and other equipment after every collection with disinfectant wipes.
■ Using sterile collection sets for every donation.
■ Conducting mini-physicals for prospective donors, including temperature checks, to ensure they are healthy enough to donate.
■ Asking people who have traveled to countries at high risk for coronavirus to self-defer from donating blood for 28 days upon returning to the United States.