COVID-19 survivors have started donating blood plasma in Vitebsk
Four residents of the regional center came to share this valuable blood component. Each of them was personally examined and their health status was assessed based on clinical analysis results by Fyodor Karpenko, Director of the National Research Center for Transfusiology and Medical Biotechnologies. As a result, three people were cleared for the procedure. The case of one more person was resolved after additional tests conducted at the station. Each donor gave 600 ml of plasma.
"The method of collecting and transfusing plasma from recovered patients was used previously during a number of viral epidemics. We obtained permission to use this technology from the WHO," said Fyodor Karpenko. He explained that antibodies are formed in people who have recovered from the illness. First, immunoglobulin M, then immunoglobulin G, which specifically help fight against coronavirus infection. This method was used by doctors during the epidemic in China. Currently, clinical studies on the use of plasma from COVID-19 survivors are being conducted in many EU countries, Russia, and here.
The head of the National Research Center expressed immense gratitude for the responsible civic stance and the desire to help from all those who responded and decided to become donors. "Due to health, age, or other indications, not everyone can be a donor in this situation. The pool of eligible donors is very limited, which makes their help even more valuable. However, the demand for this blood component is very high," emphasized Fyodor Karpenko.
In Minsk, plasma collection from recovered patients is already underway, and the obtained blood component is used in the capital's medical institutions after all laboratory analyses are completed. "Next, we intend to scale this work to all regional centers to implement it throughout the republic," added the Director of the National Research Center.