President Trump to recovered Coronavirus patients: Your plasma could save lives

President Trump just visited the American Red Cross Headquarters, where he joined public health experts from across the government to discuss a promising new development in the fight against Coronavirus.

New research shows that the plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients could help those who are currently battling the disease. The Red Cross and America’s Blood Centers together will receive up to $270 million from the Administration for the collection of up to 360,000 units of plasma for this purpose.

President Trump: “Donate as soon as you can!”

“We have already treated nearly 50,000 patients with plasma,” President Trump said. “Roughly 2,000,000 Americans have fully recovered from the virus.”

If you had a prior, verified diagnosis of COVID-19—and are now symptom-free and fully recovered—consider donating plasma to help save American lives.

These plasma treatments may work by delivering antibodies to current Coronavirus patients, helping them to fight off the virus more effectively. Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership launched by President Trump, continues to explore therapeutics while American innovators work to discover and manufacture a vaccine.

Such therapeutic supplies are being delivered by the Trump Administration to hotspots across the country. With a focus on vulnerable cities and populations, the Federal Government continues to work with state and local officials, collection centers, and hospitals to monitor at-risk areas and expand capacity as needed.

Secretary Azar: To the thousands who have donated—thank you!

“As of this week, independent community blood centers have distributed more than 100,000 doses of COVID-19 convalescent plasma to patients in need,” said Kate Fry, CEO of America’s Blood Centers. She added that they are projecting to double that number by the end of August.

President Trump is making sure that bureaucratic red tape doesn’t get in the way of finding safe, effective treatments. A large Mayo Clinic study found that the use of plasma for COVID-19 is safe and could possibly result in lower mortality rates. The FDA is increasing access to plasma while studies into its effectiveness continue.

Plasma donations could mark another important step toward defeating this virus. President Trump is using every tool at his disposal during this pandemic to keep our country safe, healthy, and strong.

Learn more about donating plasma here.

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