MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Beth D'Aversa from Reeders was enjoying the ski slopes in Switzerland back in March. When she got home, she felt sick and showed symptoms of COVID-19. She later tested positive.
"My fever only lasted two days, and I thought the virus was gone, and I thought, 'OK.' But then I lost my sense of taste and smell, and that lasted more days," said D'Aversa.
After she recovered, Beth looked into donating her plasma.
Doctors have found some success in treating COVID-19 patients with plasma from people who have recovered. The plasma contains antibodies that help fight the virus.
"I thought this is something I can do. I was so fortunate to only have a mild case," said D'Aversa.
Recovered patients who want to donate plasma need to apply online and meet certain criteria.
"They should have a positive test to confirm they had COVID-19, and that's the illness that they had. Second, they need to be symptom-free for at least 14 days and have a negative test after that 14 days, or they can be symptom-free for up to 28 days," said Dr. Dayand Borge, American Red Cross Divisional Chief Medical Officer, Central Atlantic and Northeast Divisions.
If you're a good donor candidate, the Red Cross will contact you.
You will have to pass a health screening. Then you'll be connected to a machine for about an hour.
"You have two needles, one in each arm, to collect the blood from you, it gets separated into a machine, and we only keep the plasma and return the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets back to the donor," said Dr. Borge.
Good blood plasma can help between two and four patients. It's why doctors are encouraging people to donate.
"This isn't something that is going to go away overnight. It's going to be something that we are going to need going forward for the rest of the year, and we may need it again next year, so the more of it we can collect, the better," said Dr. Borge.
Doctors say there are certain health issues that might disqualify you from donating plasma, such as heart disease or lung issues that are not controlled.
That is all laid out on the American Red Cross website, the same place where you can find a donor application.