Versiti creates hotline, electronic form for recovered COVID-19 patients to donate convalescent plasma

MILWAUKEE --Versiti blood centers is actively seeking recovered COVID-19 patients to donate convalescent plasma. The plasma would be used by Versiti’s hospital partners to treat the most severely affected coronavirus patients.

Potential donors are asked to call a special hotline that has been created: 1-866-702-HOPE (866-702-4673) or they can visit versiti.org/covid19plasma.

“The recovered donors must be proven to have had a COVID-19 diagnosis through a positive lab test result by a physician or laboratory,” said Versiti Senior Medical Director Dan A. Waxman, M.D. “That individual must then be symptom free for 28 days, or if symptom free for 14-27 days, they must provide results of a negative test.”

This blood-related treatment – approved by the FDA as an Emergency Investigational New Drug (EIND) – could offer hope to the thousands of patients who continue to be diagnosed.

“One plasma donation can be divided to treat multiple patients,” said Dr. Waxman. “And one patient may require more than one plasma transfusion.”

The plasma treatment would transfer the antibodies that the recovered patient created, into critically ill patients currently receiving care.

The plasma donations, which take 30-40 minutes, will be collected by appointment from qualified donors at Versiti donor centers.

The donation process is the same as with other plasma donations, and will be performed using an apheresis machine, which separates the blood components.