If you have fully recovered from Covid-19, you may be able to help patients currently fighting the infection by donating your plasma, says the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Because you fought the infection, your plasma now contains Covid-19 antibodies. These antibodies provided one way for your immune system to fight the virus when you were sick, so your plasma may be used to help others fight the disease.

Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood that is collected from patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus disease, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2.

Covid-19 patients develop antibodies in the blood against the virus. Antibodies are proteins that might help fight the infection. Convalescent plasma is being investigated for the treatment of Covid-19 because there is no approved treatment for this disease and there is some information that suggests it might help some patients recover.

People who have fully recovered from Covid-19 for at least two weeks are encouraged to consider donating plasma, which may help save the lives of other patients. Covid-19 convalescent plasma must only be collected from recovered individuals if they are eligible to donate blood. Individuals must have had a prior diagnosis of Covid-19 documented by a laboratory test and meet other donor criteria. Individuals must have complete resolution of symptoms for at least 14 days prior to donation. A negative lab test for active Covid-19 disease is not necessary to qualify for donation.

Source: USFDA

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