The first COVID-19 survivors to donate plasma since the launch of the Dayton area’s Convalescent Plasma program donated April 14 at Community Blood Center.
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Both donors are front line health and public safety workers from Miami County -- an area where an early outbreak of infections occurred.
Steve Norris of Troy is an Oakwood police officer, firefighter and EMT, and is now the area's third CCP donor.
David Summers of Tipp City, a physician’s assistant at the Upper Valley Medical Center and manager of the emergency department PA’s is the fourth.
By the time Norris received a positive test result, he was nearly recovered.
“It’s good to be able to do something with this,” Norris said in a written statement. “We hear all about the negative aspects of COVID and there’s plenty of them. But those who have recovered might have something in their blood to help people who are really, really sick. No sense in waiting when there are people really sick and dying.”
Summers avoided going to the ER for his symptoms because he didn’t want to endanger his colleagues.
He recovered at home, returned to work April 6, and was encouraged to donate CCP.
Summers plasma donation Tuesday was his first ever blood donation.
“I hate the sight of my own blood, I don’t mind seeing other people’s,” he said. “But this was a special circumstance. It’s good for people to know they can help. I know because I’m in the business.”
Community Blood Center became the first center in Ohio to collect plasma from a recovered patient for treatment of current COVID-19 patients on April 6 before the launch of the public CCP program.
The antibodies present in convalescent plasma may help critically ill patients fight the infection, the center said in a release.
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