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CBCO Collecting Blood, Plasma During Pandemic

CBCO Collecting Blood, Plasma During Pandemic

CBCO Collecting Blood, Plasma During Pandemic

Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is working with local hospitals to provide the blood and plasma needed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Here’s more from the CBCO:

Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO), the sole supplier of blood and plasma to patients at more than 40 area hospitals, is working with our partner hospitals to develop protocols for the collection of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) needed to treat patients in our community.

COVID-19 convalescent plasma involves collecting blood plasma from someone who has recovered from COVID-19.

It is then transfused into someone infected with the virus in the hope that antibodies from the recovered individual can help the person who is sick.

The theory is that those antibodies can neutralize the virus or cause an immune response.

Scientists and physicians around the world are racing to find new treatments for the virus, and CCP transfusions offer great promise.

Area hospitals are currently working to identify qualified donors that have already had and subsequently recovered from COVID-19.

Those qualified donors will be directly referred to CBCO to arrange a donation.

To be eligible to donate CCP, donors must meet all regular blood donation requirements.

The blood center is currently finalizing standard operating procedures for collection, including staff training and hospital communication plans. CBCO expects to begin collection of CCP on Wednesday, April 15.

“We have been working with our area hospital partners to get this program going very quickly,” CBCO Executive Director Anthony Roberts said. “The fact that we are a locally based organization providing all of the blood for area patients means that we can react rapidly when opportunities like this are presented. Convalescent plasma shows great promise as a treatment option and we are pleased to begin providing this product for the benefit of local patients.”

If you have had COVID-19, have a documented positive lab test and are 28 days symptom free, you may be eligible to participate in the CCP program.

Potential CCP donors are asked to contact their local physician to see if they are eligible.

Also, please note that blood donors must meet eligibility guidelines in order to participate.

On behalf of local hospital patients, CBCO thanks blood donors from across the region for giving life to your community.

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