Published by Kirby Winn on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 in Archive
(Sept. 1, 2020 | Davenport, Iowa) – Donors who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection have now provided more than 1000 units of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) for hospitals served by Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC). The Blood Center began working with donors who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection in April 2020, as the first donors who had recovered from a COVID-19 infection became eligible to donate. MVRBC is now entering the sixth month of collecting COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma, or CCP, and patient need for COVID-19 antibodies remains strong.
Convalescent plasma donations contain antibodies to the COVID-19 virus and are used in the treatment of patients currently hospitalized with a COVID-19 infection. Potential donors who can provide documentation of a laboratory-confirmed positive test for COVID-19 and meet other health and safety criteria are scheduled for CCP donations at a nearby MVRBC Donor Center or mobile blood drive. Individual donors and care providers may refer themselves or their patients via the referral form available at www.bloodcenter.org or by calling (833) 610-1025. For additional information, potential donors or physicians may send inquiries to patientservices@mvrbc.org.
Research into the effectiveness of this treatment continues at a national level. Initially, the Blood Center’s provision of CCP was authorized under the National Expanded Access Treatment Protocol (EAP). Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its authorization for CCP by issuing an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for investigational convalescent plasma.
![CCP Donor]()
Jose Rodriguez (pictured, right) gave plasma after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. “I had a fever and body aches, and lost sense of smell and taste,” said Rodriguez, who recovered from his infection at home. “Now I want to do anything I can do to help make someone feel better.”
CCP Donation Totals
After five months of collecting CCP donations, MVRBC has scheduled appointments with 321 qualified donors across its service region. The collection is done with a machine at the donor’s side that automatically separates plasma and then returns remaining blood components to the donor. With many scheduling multiple appointments, donors have provided more than 500 donations that can each give three to four doses. Since beginning in April, the Blood Center has provided more than 1000 doses of convalescent plasma for patient care.
CCP donors must be fully recovered from their COVID-19 infection and must meet all standard eligibility criteria for blood donation. Plasma will only be collected from donors with laboratory-confirmed tests, preferably with a test called “PCR”, showing the donor had a COVID-19 infection. Donors must be at least 28 days from the last date they had respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) or fever. Qualified donors are scheduled for appointments at a nearby Donor Center or mobile blood drive.
About Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center
Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC), based in Davenport, Iowa, serves 115 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, as well as resource sharing partners across the country. The Blood Center’s service region extends from southwestern Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri and from Danville, Illinois to Chariton, Iowa. The 501(c)(3) not-for-profit blood center was established in 1974 and operates as Central Illinois Community Blood Center (Springfield, Illinois) and Community Blood Services of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana, Illinois). For more information, see www.bloodcenter.org and visit the Blood Center’s social media channels: www.facebook.com/MVRBC, www.twitter.com/willyougive, www.youtube.com/MVRBC, and www.instagram.com/willyougive/.
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Note: for additional information and graphics to enhance coverage of COVID19 Convalescent Plasma, see the following information on the Blood Center’s web site:
• COVID19 Convalescent Plasma information page
• COVID19 Convalescent Plasma Marketing Toolkit