Why plasma donation is so important right now, how you can donate safely during the pandemic

Plasma donation is important to medical research now more than ever to help with potentially treating COVID-19. One company leading the way is Grifols. Vlasta Hakes, director of corporate affairs at Grifols joined us today. Here’s more from her:

Plasma donation is a painless procedure that thousands of people do each day. It is a great way to take a break in the middle of the day while helping others!

All donors receive a thorough health screening at each donation. Once they are screened then they undergo the plasmapheresis process which is where a machine draws the donor’s blood, the plasma is separated from the blood, and the red blood cells are returned.

Since plasma is mostly water plus therapeutic proteins and antibodies, the body quickly regenerates the plasma so a donor can give up to twice a week with a full day between donations.

This is important because we need lots of donations. It takes anywhere for 130 to 1300 donations to make enough medicine to treat just one patient for one year.

So are asking that people take the time to become regular donors.

We recommend that donors eat a healthy meal, drink plenty of fluids, and get a good night of sleep prior to coming in to donate plasma. Once at the center, they can relax, check their phone or catch up on their latest tv show!

The safety of our donors and employees is Grifols number one priority. Grifols has implemented protocols as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• We are practicing physical distancing throughout the facility by maximizing floor space to seat donors apart
• We have put up extra plexiglass barriers
• We have enhanced existing cleaning protocols and provide personal protective equipment for employees
• We are requiring everyone to please wear face-covings when inside the center
• We take employee and donor temperatures at the door
• We strongly encourage anyone who doesn’t feel well to please stay home.
• We have a full list of all of our safety protocols on our website www.grifolsplasma.com

What is Grifols doing to help fight COVID-19?

The plasma of those who have recovered from COVID-19 contain antibodies to the disease and we believe that it can potentially help treat those who currently have or in the future might get COVID-19.

Grifols has acted with urgency during this global crisis by collecting plasma from those who have recovered from COVID-19 at our donor centers across the United States. We want to harness and concentrate these antibodies that are in their plasma to produce a medicine that could potentially treat the disease. We believe, that this medicine, a hyperimmune globulin therapy, can offer predictable and consistent dosing of the antibody against the virus that causes COVID-19. It will also bridge the time while we wait for a vaccine and can also be used alongside a vaccine once there is one. Patients are currently receiving this medicine as part of a clinical trial that we are doing in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and hope to have results soon.

Plasma donation is now important more than ever, whether it is for the medicines already made out of plasma or for potentially treating COVID-19. Donating plasma at one of Grifols’ donor centers is a way people can help make a difference during this exceptional time. We encourage everyone to consider becoming a plasma donor and give some of their plasma to make other lives brighter.

To learn more, visit www.grifols.com and grifolsplasma.com.

THIS SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY GRIFOLS.