Urgent appeal for coronavirus survivors to donate blood plasma

AN URGENT appeal has been issued for recovered coronavirus patients to donate their blood plasma after the numbers coming forward dropped by almost half in a month.

While 13,000 donations have been made so far, more are urgently needed to help in the event of a second wave, said Gail Miflin, NHS Blood and Transplant’s chief medical officer.

The number of appointments booked each week as part of the continuing NHSBT convalescent plasma collection has dropped by almost half in the past month, with fewer eligible donors as the number of new infections fell in lockdown.

A major trial is looking at how convalescent plasma can be transfused into patients who are struggling to develop their own immune response, but the appeal for donations is now being described as urgent.

Men, especially, are being encouraged to help, after analysis in June showed that men produce more coro- navirus antibodies than women, making them better plasma donors.

Results from the trial into the safety and effectiveness of such transfusions are expected later this year, but donations are being collected in advance so that the NHS will have a stock ready to go.

Donated plasma is frozen and can be used up to three years later.

Dr Miflin said: “We need people to offer to donate now so we are ready to potentially provide an additional line of protection during any second wave.

“The number of new infections has declined greatly, which is fantastic news. Fewer people are getting Covid-19.

“This does mean we need to work harder to recruit new donors and we urgently need as many people as possible who have recovered to donate, to help us make as much progress as possible now.”