FORT WORTH, Texas — Four weeks after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price donated plasma and is calling on others to do the same.
“I’m glad to be here and have a chance to share our antibodies with somebody that might need them,” Price said, minutes before making the donation.
Price donated her plasma at Carter Bloodcare’s donation center on Rosedale Street Friday afternoon.
Her blood was drawn and passed through a machine that separates red blood cells and plasma. The red blood cells were then returned and the plasma will be used to help others fight COVID-19.
It’s called COVID-19 convalescent plasma or CCP. Health experts from the CDC to the NIH have been calling for donations since August.
"Please donate plasma now,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a video posted to the CDC’s website. “You can literally save lives.”
As COVID-19 vaccines become more and more accessible, health experts worry that plasma donations could dry up.
People who receive the COVID-19 vaccine today cannot donate convalescent plasma for one year, according to Veronica Moore, VP of organizational relations at Carter BloodCare.
With cases and hospitalizations still a concern, donations will continue to be vital until vaccines are available to everyone.
“We consistently need those convalescent plasma doses,” Moore said.
Click here to find out if you qualify to donate and to find donation sites near you.