Donated convalescent plasma may be beneficial to patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to boost their ability to fight the virus.
Most people who recover from COVID-19 develop antibodies (proteins that the immune system produces in response to infection) to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Antibodies are found in plasma, the yellow liquid portion of blood. Plasma is collected from donors who have recovered from COVID-19 through a process called apheresis, which uses a special machine to separate the blood into different components. The plasma is removed, while the rest of the blood components are returned into the donor’s body.