Blood Banks Seek Plasma 'Superdonors' in COVID Fight

After the White House Coronavirus Task Force pressed for the emergency-use authorization of convalescent plasma as a treatment for hospitalized patients, blood banks are seeking "superdonors," The Wall Street Journal reported.

The "high-titer" donors, those with high antibody levels, are in particular demand, especially if they sustain those levels months after recovering from the COVID-19 infection, per the report.

The donations are sought regularly for those categorized as high-titer donors.

Data show that transfusions of that type of plasma have proven to be effective in reducing mortality in hospitalized patients.

"We expect hospitals will want high-titer plasma," Vitalant Senior Vice President Cliff Numark told the Journal. "We don't know if we will have enough."

The demand will only grow if a new wave of COVID-19 infections wash over the United States during the upcoming cold and flu season, experts told the Journal.

"We want to take a person who has recovered from COVID and make them a superdonor with very high antibody levels," Dr. Philip J. Norris, Vitalant Research Institute's director of laboratory science, told the Journal.

• BU Study: Vitamin D Reduces COVID-19 Mortality for Elders
• Study: Fewer Than 10% of Americans Have Coronavirus Antibodies