City of Carmel firefighter Kevin Young, who contracted COVID-19, was hospitalized and has now fully recovered, has begun donating his plasma for potentially life-saving treatments for patients who are extremely ill with the virus. According to the FDA, anyone who has fully recovered from COVID-19, may be able to help patients currently fighting the infection by donating their plasma. Because Young fought the infection, his plasma now contains COVID-19 antibodies and these antibodies (which helped his immune system fight the virus) may be able to help others fight off the disease.
Young, who is 40, made his first donation this week at Versiti blood donation center in Indianapolis and he plans to make another donation next week. Versiti (formerly the Indiana Blood Center) also has a Carmel location, but it currently only accepts donations of blood, not plasma.
Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood that is collected from patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Patients develop antibodies in the blood against the virus. Antibodies are proteins that might help fight the infection. Convalescent plasma is being investigated for the treatment of COVID-19 because there is no approved treatment for this disease and there is some information that suggests it might help some patients recover from COVID-19.
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