Jakarta – A team of researchers focusing on convalescent plasma at Cipto Mangungkusomo Hospital/University of Indonesia's School of Medicine has urged survivors of COVID-19 to donate their blood plasma to help treat patients with the novel coronavirus.
"The donated blood plasma will be used on COVID-19 patients who are severely ill," team member Robert Sinto said as reported by tempo.co on Thursday.
Donors are required to have been declared free of COVID-19 through two swab tests and be at least 18 years old. He explained that the blood samples of the convalescent plasma could be used in therapy treatment for COVID-19 patients.
"We really hope that everyone can help us in treating COVID-19 patients suffering greatly," Robert said.
The group also shared the contact number of 081219973852 for survivors who would like to make a donation.
Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology director Amin Soebandrio previously explained that the plasma contained antibodies that would prove effective in neutralizing the coronavirus incubating within the patients.
He said the blood should be taken two to four weeks after the donor recovered from COVID-19. Convalescent plasma has proven effective in small studies for treating infectious diseases, including Ebola and SARS.