NYC Blood Bank Partners With Coronavirus Survivor Group
NEW YORK, NY — One of New York's largest blood banks is working with a group founded by coronavirus survivors to drive up plasma donations in an effort to create a bank of blood with coronavirus antibodies.
New York Blood Center, which operates locations in Midtown and one on the Upper East Side, will work with the Survivor Corps to encourage survivors of the deadly virus to donate their plasma. Survivor Corps founder Diana Berrent donated plasma to New York Blood Center on Wednesday.
Blood center officials say the survivor group, which started on Facebook, has more than 25,000 members across the United States.
New York Blood Center hopes to solicit enough donations to maintain a bank of blood with coronavirus antibodies for use in New York City area hospitals, the center's officials said. Doctors are using the antibodies to treat sick patients through blood transfusions. Doctors hope that the treatment, called convalescent plasma, can help coronavirus patients recover more rapidly in order to open up beds in hospitals as new patients come in with the virus.
"Our region was hit early by this pandemic and has sadly suffered from the highest number of infections in the nation. That means we now have the largest pool of individuals recovering from COVID-19 who can become plasma donors and help those who are severely ill, New York Blood Center CEO Dr. Christopher D. Hillyer said in a statement.
People interested in donating plasma to New York Blood Center must be symptom-free for 14 days prior to donation, center officials said. One person's donation can help treat up to three coronavirus patients, according to the center.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has spoken in the past about using coronavirus antibodies to both treat current virus cases and identify healthcare workers who may have developed an immunity to the virus and may return to work. Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published a study in March stating that they developed a test to screen for coronavirus antibodies that will indicate whether a person has contracted and developed an immunity to the disease.
This article originally appeared on the Upper East Side Patch
