Starting today, when people donate lifesaving blood through Vitalant they can learn if they have antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 and find out if their plasma can be used to help COVID-19 patients with weakened immune systems. For a limited time, all donations will be tested and results will be available in donors’ online accounts about two weeks later.
Vitalant can produce convalescent plasma from donations that test sufficiently high for COVID-19 antibodies while red blood cells and other blood components may help trauma victims, cancer patients and other patients with serious health conditions. The antibodies in convalescent plasma can give COVID-19 patients with weakened immune systems an extra boost to help fight the disease. Learn more at vitalant.org/antibody.
“Many people may be curious about their antibody status as more COVID-19 variants continue to emerge,” said Vitalant Senior Vice President Cliff Numark. “This testing also empowers donors to help the most vulnerable COVID-19 patients with their donation.”
Added benefits of donating blood are a mini-physical and full panel of tests each donor receives, now including antibody testing. The mini-physical check of pulse, blood pressure, hemoglobin and cholesterol can be tracked with each visit in the donor’s secure and confidential online account.
How to Give
To learn more and schedule an appointment to donate, please visit vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). Donors who meet all eligibility requirements can give regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Donors who’ve recovered from COVID-19 are eligible after a brief waiting period. Masks are optional at Vitalant donation locations except where required by local regulations or blood drive host. Complimentary masks are available at all Vitalant sites.
About Vitalant
Vitalant (“Vye-TAL-ent”) is the nation’s largest independent, nonprofit blood services provider exclusively focused on providing lifesaving blood and comprehensive transfusion medicine services for about 900 hospitals and their patients across the U.S. Every day, Vitalant needs to collect about 5,300 blood, platelet and plasma donations to help save lives. For more information and to schedule a donation appointment, visit vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.