Mayo Clinic studying use of plasma from recovered patients in fighting COVID-19

The Mayo Clinic in Rochester is overseeing a clinical study using donated plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat and possibly help people currently hospitalized with the illness.

If someone has recovered from COVID-19, their donated plasma can potentially be used to help current patients.

The recovered patient’s blood has antibodies that fight the illness and may be able to be transferred to current patients.

Dr. Scott Wright, a physician at Mayo Clinic, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the study needs more plasma donors because, in a good twist, Minnesota has fewer COVID-19 cases than most other states.

Follow KSTP’s complete COVID-19 coverage

"We really need individuals who’ve recovered from COVID who are well now and are 14 to 21 days out now without symptoms who are willing to donate their plasma," said Wright. "It can then be re-purposed and given to someone who is in the hospital who is critically ill to help them potentially get better."

Kimberly Oleson told KSTP her parents, both in their mid-80s, are part of the clinical trial, and her mother has already been released from the hospital.

"My dad took a bad turn for the worse and had to be on a ventilator for 14 days," Oleson said. "But a few days after the plasma treatment started, he started doing better and is now off the ventilator."

If you have recovered from COVID-19, you can find out more about donating your plasma with the Red Cross here.