There is an urgent need for convalescent plasma in Hamilton County to treat people infected with COVID-19 as a surge of new cases and high levels of hospitalizations continues.
Dr. Elizabeth Culler, medical director for Blood Assurance, said her organization has previously bought units of plasma from outside of Hamilton County to treat local patients. However, with spikes of new cases happening across the country, that market is increasingly difficult, she said.
At the same time, the need locally has never been greater.
"I think people maybe don't realize the urgent, urgent need that we have. And maybe they're not connecting their donation. It will be immediately lifesaving to somebody if they will just donate," Culler said.
Convalescent plasma is the purified plasma donated by people who were sick with the coronavirus. The body's response to the virus involves creating antibodies to fight off the illness. After the person recovers, those antibodies are still present in the blood plasma, which is why places such as Blood Assurance are asking for donations. The donated plasma can be given to someone sick with the virus to begin fighting back while the person's own body is starting to produce its own antibodies.
In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave an emergency use authorization to use convalescent plasma in treating COVID-19. The authorization meant the treatment was safe but there was not yet definitive data on its effectiveness.
In September, Dr. Francis S. Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said data about the effectiveness of using the plasma to treat severe infections was "promising but incomplete." At the time, the NIH was expanding its trials of the treatment to better understand which patients respond best to the intervention.
The best available research suggests convalescent plasma can work in treating those very sick with the virus. A study this past summer by the Mayo Clinic of more than 35,000 people found that administering convalescent plasma within three days of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis resulted in lower mortality rates than those for people not given the treatment.
Potential plasma donors need to be at least 14 days from their positive test and 14 days symptom free to donate. They must also meet all the other requirements to donate blood, Culler said. A donation takes about 45 minutes, and people can donate multiple times in the same month.
Culler said her organization is not seeing an increased interest in donating, despite the increasing number of potential donors as case numbers rise locally. The doctor said people who have recovered may have forgotten the role they can play in helping others.
"It is really important that we be able to draw convalescent plasma from the community right here so we have it ready exactly when that patient needs it," she said. "And I don't have to import it and have a delay that could result in a higher mortality rate."
People who are interested in donating may visit Blood Assurance's website to make a donation appointment.
Contact Wyatt Massey at wmassey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Follow him on Twitter @news4mass.