CONVALESCENT PLASMA DONATION

Eli stressed the difference between plasma and convalescent plasma. While plasma-only donations are used to help treat bleeding disorders, severe liver disease, clotting factor deficiencies and blood loss following severe trauma or surgeries, convalescent plasma uses blood from people who have recovered from an illness to help others who are actively fighting that illness.

Blood plasma donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection usually has high levels of COVID-19 antibodies. This convalescent plasma can be given to people with COVID-19 to improve their ability to fight the virus ( here , here , here , here ). Convalescent plasma therapy has emergency authorization by the FDA to treat COVID-19 (here).

As some of the social media posts show,the American Red Cross is indeed currently not accepting convalescent plasma donations from those vaccinated against COVID-19 (here). Eli told Reuters, “Convalescent plasma collected by the Red Cross can only come from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and have not received a COVID-19 vaccine.”

Eli did add that seeing as the Red Cross is testing all blood donations for COVID-19 antibodies, plasma from routine donations that have a high level of these antibodies may be used as convalescent plasma.

The Red Cross is evaluating the “feasibility” and “timeline” of implementing new February 2021 guidance from the FDA, which says (here) that COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be collected from people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have had COVID-19 in the past six months and received the vaccine after they were diagnosed with COVID-19.

The FDA explains that the reasoning behind their guidance is to “ensure that COVID-19 convalescent plasma collected from donors contains antibodies directly related to their immune responses to SARS-CoV2 infection” rather than antibodies formed following vaccination.

An FDA spokesperson told Reuters via email that there is yet no data on whether the plasma of vaccinated patients might be effective for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

The AmericanRed Cross is avoiding convalescent plasma from those vaccinated against COVID-19 but exceptions are made if the convalescent plasma is high in COVID-19 antibodies.

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-redcross-vaccinated-idUSL1N2MR1HU