NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — There are people right in the New Orleans area community who survived COVID-19 because of the kindness of others.
Along with other treatments, they were given a transfusion of someone else's coronavirus antibodies, so they could better fight the infection.
And now there is a call to action for anyone who has recovered from the virus, to contribute to the supply of life-saving plasma.
The Rock is asking for your help.
“If you survived it, then you're the heroes we need. The plasma that's in your blood can literally save lives,” said actor and former wrestler Dwayne Johnson in a public service video.
So is Samuel L. Jackson and the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams.
“And you're in a special position to help us fight back,” said actor Samuel L. Jackson in a PSA video.
“Your plasma has antibodies that may help others fight COVID,” said Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. Surgeon General, also in a PSA video.
Microsoft joined the campaign, the federal government too with Operation Warp Speed and The Blood Center is also on board, asking anyone who has had the coronavirus, to donate the plasma from their blood.
“Preliminarily it looks like convalescent plasma does, in many cases, either shorten hospitalization, or potentially have patients be removed from intubation if they are in serious conditions, So we currently believe that it does work,” said Medical Director of The Blood Center, Dr. Tim Peterson.
He says doctors can now give patients with COVID-19, blood plasma at their own discretion. It used to just be given to patients who were in a medical study.
“Since then, most of the data has shown that given earlier in the infection, gives you a better response to convalescent plasma,” explained Dr. Peterson.
He sees donors who are thankful they recovered and who want to help others. And those who survived because of their voluntary donations, are grateful.
“I can tell you, I get called all the time by patients to our blood collection sites that tell us they received plasma, and they've done remarkably well following transfusion,” he said.
A local doctor, who we talked to a few months ago, is one of the thankful survivors.
"In two days I was out of a ventilator, so it was, it changed the course of the disease, said Dr. Hector Montalvo, after he recovered from COVID-19 when another doctor at East Jefferson General Hospital donated plasma.
And your help is needed so other families are as fortunate as his.
If you've had the coronavirus and are 17 and older, you can go to any Blood Center site to donate. It only takes about 45 minutes. You can register online or just fill out the paperwork when you get to the donation site.
For locations visit www.thebloodcenter.org
For more on convalescent plasma in the fight on COVID-19: https://thefightisinus.org/en-us#home
