MS Blood Services is Looking for Plasma Donors

Ashley Norwood

• Published on May 21, 2020 • Last modified on May 20, 2020 • Comments

Officials with Mississippi Blood Services are looking for people who have fully recovered from COVID-19. The organization wants to supply hospitals that treat COVID-19 patients.

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Plasma is the liquid part of blood collected from patients who have recovered from an infection. The antibodies present in this specific plasma are proteins that could help fight off COVID-19. Merle Eldridge is with Mississippi Blood Services. She says they’ve collected only about 10 units of this plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients.

“We have had to provide more plasma to the hospitals than we’ve been able to actually draw here at Mississippi Blood Services,” said Eldridge.

While there is no approved treatment for the coronavirus, research suggests this specific plasma could help some patients recover.

Since the state has been on lock-down, schools and other organizations haven’t been able to sponsor blood drives.

“We have about a 1500 drop in our units in our inventory and so we’re just hoping that people are looking for ways to give,” said Eldridge.

“We’d love for you to come in and donate in any capacity.”

Anyone who’s eligible to donate blood is welcome, she says. Only the Flowood location is collecting plasma from people who’ve recovered from COVID-19. The nonprofit Mississippi Blood Services serves 60 hospitals across the state. For more information, visit the MS Blood website.