Recognizing that coronavirus cases are still on the rise across the land, leaders at the region’s Versiti Blood Centers have begun antibody testing to help identify convalescent plasma donors and potentially save lives.
As the pandemic continues, the need for convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients is increasingly greater. To help identify potential donors Versiti, Inc., a national leader in blood health innovation, is now performing a screening test for COVID-19 antibodies on all successful donations.
Dr. Thomas Abshire, Versiti’s Chief Medical Officer, says, “Versiti is very happy to announce that we have begun testing our donors for COVID-19 antibodies as of Monday August 17th.” He adds, “It is our hope that providing these results will help us identify potential donors for convalescent plasma. This information will also be helpful to public health authorities who are tracking the prevalence of the coronavirus. Convalescent plasma can be one of several therapeutic options to help save the lives of some patients who are suffering from the more severe symptoms of COVID-19.”
The testing is being conducted in addition to standard FDA mandated tests on all blood donations. Because samples are collected at the end of the donation process, the test will not be performed if a donor is deferred or unable to complete their donation, nor can the test be provided on its own. The test will inform donors if they have antibodies reflective of a prior COVID-19 infection. The test does not screen for the virus itself and does not inform donors if they currently have COVID-19, nor does it indicate future immunity against the virus.
Testing will be done at Versiti’s laboratory in Indianapolis. Donors can find their results through their online account at versiti.org or the Versiti app. Positive test results will also be mailed to the donor.
Versiti Blood Centers, among the first in the U.S. to begin collecting convalescent plasma, are working with partner hospitals to identify recovered patients. As per the guidelines, hospitals must request FDA approval in order to treat coronavirus patients with plasma. Donors are then referred to Versiti through hospitals, or the recovered patients’ physicians.
Budd Farr of Indiana has donated his plasma 12 times since his recovery from a serious case of COVID-19. He says, “I promised myself if I got out of the whole mess, donating would be the least I could do,” and adds, “It’s not a big problem or a painful or traumatic deal. Just do the right thing.”
Potential plasma donors can call 1-866-702-HOPE (866-702-4673) to donate or they can visit http://versiti.org/covid19plasma.
Versiti, which has a local donor center in St. Joseph, was formed with the mission to improve the health of patients and enable the success of their health care partners nationally. They provide innovative, value added solutions in the fields of transfusion medicine, transplantation, and blood-related diseases to meet the needs of each of our customers. The collective efforts across Versiti result in improved patient outcomes, expanded access to care and cost efficiencies for health care systems nationwide.
