TBI collecting plasma for COVID patients
Texas Blood Institute to Collect Convalescent Plasma to Aid Local COVID-19 Patients
Texas Blood Institute (TBI), the sole blood provider to all of our area hospitals, will collect convalescent plasma from donors who have recovered from COVID-19, part of an experimental initiative to use the product to treat seriously ill patients.
By creating the only statewide registry of available patients, Texas Blood Institute can ensure local patients receive the donated products and have the best possible chance at fighting the illness.
“We’re excited to play our part in ensuring patients have access to all treatment options, including convalescent plasma,” said John Armitage, MD, president, and CEO of Texas Blood Institute. “As the Texoma region’s community blood supplier, we can quickly collect donor information and work with our local hospital partners to ensure anyone who wants to help a neighbor has that opportunity.”
Donors are encouraged to sign up for the local plasma registry at my.bio-linked. org. Bio-Linked allows users to submit confidential health and social information via a secure site and to list themselves as potential volunteers for medical research Once qualified, plasma wil be drawn at hospital partner sites, with each donor providing up to three therapeutic plasma doses.
To provide convalescen plasma, donors must be eligible to donate blood and meet the criteria below:
· Prior diagnosis of COVID-19, documented by a laboratory test
· Present negative results for COVID-19, either from nasal swabs or a molecular (RNA or nucleic acid) diagnostic blood test
· Symptom-free for 14 days prior to donation
· If female, either no history of pregnancy or negative for HLA (tissue typing) antibodies
Complete information on donor eligibility from the FDA is available here.
“In this time of need we must all unite to figh against this pandemic threat,” Armitage said. “A Texas Blood Institute, we’re proud to continue our role as a leading provider of public health services and cutting-edge care for our state’s patients.”
Texas Blood Institute is part of the 6th-largest independent blood center in the nation, providing blood for all major hospitals in the Texoma region. For more information, visit txbi.org.
