As COVID cases heighten nationally, so does the demand for antibody donations.

Some requirements for antibody plasma donations include:

1. Recovered from COVID-19 and have been symptom free for at least 2 weeks
2. Had a previous diagnosis of the virus from a doctor
3. Recived a positive antibody test

If you fit this criteria you can donate through every 28 days. The organization has already seen over 10 thousand donors since they began collecting plasma for COVID patients. But what do these antibodies do?

Red Cross Regional Medical Director Dr. Lawrence Fialkow explains, “If you have coronavirus and you recover and you make antibodies we would then collect the plasma with those antibodies, which you can give to someone else who's immune system, you know, is having trouble dealing with the disease.“

Donations are in such high demand that people who may have otherwise been deferred due to recent homosexual sex, a new tattoo or piercing, now have more opportunity to donate.

“In most cases, something that would have been a twelve month deferral, they’ve decreased it to a three month deferral or no deferral, meaning that someone in the past who couldn't donate is now eligible to come and donate blood,” added Dr. Fialkow.

This larger donor base also helps ease demand after the Red Cross saw a decrease in donations early on in the pandemic. “Initially, we saw a dip in blood donations, depending on where you were in the country. You know, there was the lockdown. There was a stay at home orders. There were other reasons why people weren't leaving their houses,” Fialkow said.

And as local quarantine restrictions ease and more people leave their homes, the demand from hospitals for general blood donations holds steady.

Dr. Fialkow shared “A hospital still need regular blood products because they still have patients who are in traumas, who are going through surgeries.”

Dr. Fialkow also says he’s especially grateful to donors who can give during these challenging times. “I just wanted to thank everyone who comes out to donate blood because it's a very difficult time and a very trying time right now in the country. And the fact that we saw people coming out every day to donate blood is it's a wonderful thing to see.”

The Red Cross says they are working to keep every donation site as safe as possible through frequent cleaning and screening staff daily.

More information on how these antibodies help current COVID patients and where you can donate can be found on the Red Cross website.