Plea for recovering coronavirus patients in Lancashire to help save lives

Health chiefs in Lancashire have issued an urgent plea for people who have recovered from Covid-19 to dinate plasma to treat the virus.
There is an ugent need for Covid-19 convalescent donors in Blackburn after local outbreakThere is an ugent need for Covid-19 convalescent donors in Blackburn after local outbreak
There is an ugent need for Covid-19 convalescent donors in Blackburn after local outbreak

NHS Blood and Transplant needs donors to come forward following the local spike in cases in parts of Lancashire to enable as many donations as possible to be taken now.

The blood plasma from people who have recovered from the virus can potentially save the lives of people who are still ill.

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A local outbreak of COVID-19 cases means there are more potential donors in the city than in many other parts of England.

People who have had a positive test for coronavirus are being asked to get in touch while men who have had the symptoms but no test are also being asked to get in touch.

An NHS Blood and Transplant spokesman said: “Every new offer to donate is incredibly valuable. We particularly need men to come forwards as they generally have higher antibody levels.

Blackburn has seen an increase in positive cases in recent weeks. We urgently need as many people as possible who have recovered to donate, to help us make as much progress as possible now.

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“Donations can also be frozen to ensure convalescent plasma is readily available, should there be a rise in infections in the coming weeks.

“Please, help the NHS fight COVID-19 by donating at your nearest donor centre. You could save lives.”

Convalescent plasma is being collected at NHSBT’s 23 donor centres around the country along with dedicated pop-up donor centres.

Donation takes about 45 minutes and the body will usually replaces the donated plasma in 24-48 hours.

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The donor plasma contains antibodies against the virus which can be transfused into people who are struggling to develop their own immune response.

Potential donors are being prioritised according to who is likely to have higher antibody levels. Some people will be asked to make a short visit first to give a blood sample, to confirm their antibody levels are high enough for the trial.

NHS Blood and Transplant’s Clinical Trials Unit is collaborating on the trial with the RECOVERY and REMAP-CAP platform trials.

If you have recovered from coronavirus or the symptoms, please offer to donate by calling 0300 123 23 23 completing the webform at www.nhsbt.nhs.uk