Curious to know if you've already had the Coronavirus? You can find out now while also helping save lives just by donating blood through The Blood Center.
All blood donated with The Blood Center is now being tested for COVID-19 antibodies. This free service informs the donor if they carry the COVID-19 antibody which has been used via plasma transfusions to help critically ill patients battling the coronavirus.
Donors need to schedule their donations in order to practice social distancing and insure a safe, stable blood supply. Results post 48 hours after a completed blood donation. Donors need to visit TheBloodCenter.org and log into My Account for their results. FIND YOUR NEAREST LOCATION HERE TO SCHEDULE YOUR DONATION.
A disclaimer though that those testing positive for the antibodies should not assume they are immune from the virus. TBC’s antibody test will also not test if you currently have COVID-19 and donors should not attempt to donate if they are experiencing any symptoms.
Donors who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies may be eligible to donate COVID Convalescent Plasma (CCP). “We’ve seen promising results from patients who’ve received CCP, but there’s only a few recovered patients who are eligible to give at this time” says Dr. Tim Peterson, Medical Director for The Blood Center. “The scarcity of donors with the COVID antibody make this test extremely beneficial to patient care.” Testing also provides statistics to the Louisiana Department of Health about what percentage of the population was exposed to COVID-19.
“Thanks to the enormous efforts of our dedicated colleagues we are now able to deliver a high-quality antibody test in high quantities, so we can support healthcare systems around the world with an important tool to better manage the COVID-19 health crisis,” said Severin Schwan, CEO Roche Group. ”I am in particular pleased about the high specificity and sensitivity of our test, which is crucial to support health care systems around the world with a reliable tool to better manage the COVID-19 health crisis.”