COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina is teaming up with The Blood Connection to collect convalescent plasma.
Dr. Helmut Albrecht is the chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Carolina and Prisma Health and has been working with convalescent plasma in treating COVID19.
“Its what we were using for various infectious diseases before we had antibiotics and antivirals," Dr. Albrecht explains.
He says taking the plasma of recovered COVID19 patients and transfusing it into critically ill COVID19 patients has shown, in some cases, remarkable results,“It worked in some patients extraordinarily well and some others it didn’t but it certainly- when you have nothing in your armamentarium- to have something that’s as promising as this…we put a lot of effort into making that available here.”
According to Dr. Albrecht, over 40 patients have been treated with the convalescent plasma transfusion right here in the Midlands.
“We’ve very early on gone with a local approach," Dr. Albrecht says. The Blood Connection, a southeastern blood bank, is working with UofSC to collect donations of plasma and much needed blood.
The Blood Connection set up shop at the UofSC's Center for Health and Well-Being and will be taking donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“This one is not only for our students but for all patients that are eligible," Dr. Albrecht says.
To be eligible to donate plasma UofSC says: "To be eligible to donate plasma for COVID-19 patients, donors must either have had a positive COVID-19 test and been asymptomatic for at least 14 days, or if they have not had a formal diagnosis of COVID-19, they must have had a positive antibody test."
To see if you qualify, call The Blood Connection at 864-751-1168 or you can text “USC” to 70547 to set up a blood donation.