Miami Valley Hospital will not be able to keep up with Covid plasma needs without more donations, says doctor

DAYTON — In October, Premier Health used 1,500 units of convalescent plasma to help people sick with Covid, a Miami Valley Hospital doctor said.

Plasma from recovered patients has antibodies that can help others fight off the virus. However, the life-saving treatment for some is now in short supply at MVH.

Dr. Steve Burdette, the medical director of infection prevention at MVH said right now there are more Covid patients in the hospital than at any other time during the pandemic. That means more patients could benefit from plasma transfusions. However, because the hospital is running low, Burdette said doctors have had to be more selective about who they give it to.

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“At the rate that this is going we would not have enough plasma to keep up with the volume of cases of Covid we are seeing,” Dr. Burdette said.

He explained, anybody who has recovered from a confirmed case of Covid could be eligible to donate plasma about four weeks after their symptoms stop. Patients who received a plasma transfusion while they fought Covid are also eligible to donate.

“It doesn’t matter if they had severe symptoms or no symptoms. If they had confirmed Covid they would be a candidate for donation,” Dr. Burdette said.

Each donation can treat two or three patients.

For information about how to donate, click here: https://www.givingblood.org/

Cox Media Group