DES MOINES, Iowa — The battle against COVID-19 has taken a positive turn at a Des Moines-area hospital.
UnityPoint Health announced they've partnered with LifeServe Blood Center to give the first convalescent plasma to a COVID-19 patient at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines.
Leaders said the plasma was donated from a patient who recovered from the virus.
The FDA has approved the emergency use of convalescent plasma for those who have fully recovered from COVID-19.
Current patients with serious or life-threatening COVID-19 infections, or those deemed at high risk are eligible to receive the plasma, leaders said.
“This type of treatment has been used in previous pandemics including H1N1, MERS and SARS with encouraging results that we hope we can replicate in patients suffering severe complications from COVID-19," Dr. Leyla Best, an Infectious Disease Specialist at UnityPoint Health said in a release.
UnityPoint officials said they'll reach out to patients who've recovered from COVID-19 to become prospective donors.
LifeServe Blood Center is seeking the following volunteer donors:
- Individuals who received a positive laboratory confirmation of the virus, has successfully recovered from COVID-19 (28 days free of any symptoms), and has a physician referral document.
- Individuals who have received a physician diagnosis of COVID-19, but did not have a positive laboratory test, and have been free of any symptoms for 28 days may be eligible for antibody screening.