Roswell Park To Offer Plasma To COVID-19 Patients

While at this point there’s no proven cure for COVID-19, medical experts believe plasma from the blood of recovered patients could help fight it.

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WIVB-TV reports that Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is going to begin offering convalescent plasma to patients with severe cases of the virus. This is being done through an expanded access program authorized by the FDA.

Those who wish to donate blood plasma must meet certain criteria. They must prove that they contracted coronavirus, recovered and have been asymptomatic for two weeks.

Other eligibility requirements are listed from Roswell Park here. All donations will be conducted by appointment only.

“Everything we know about COVID-19 is very recent and fast-moving, but there’s early evidence to suggest that this approach can be clinically beneficial for patients with severe COVID-19,” says Dr. George Chen, associate professor of oncology in Roswell Park’s Department of Medicine. “It’s basically a kind of passive immunization designed to bridge patients over until their own immune systems kick in and generate long-term antibodies against COVID-19.”