The importance of donating plasma has increased in the COVID-19 times. As the world is still battling the crisis, people have been wondering about the corona donation in the USA and want to know how they can help. If you are one of such people and you want to help COVID-19 patients by donating plasma, you should read on. Here we have mentioned how often you can donate plasma as offering it in excess is not safe nor healthy.
What do the Organizations Say?
When it comes to plasma donations, organizations like Red Cross allow people to donate plasma just once every 28 days. However, some private players in plasma donation allow a person to donate multiple times a week. The latter is not a good idea as there can be some side effects of that.
How Often Can You Donate Plasma?
According to the American Red Cross, an individual can donate once every 28 days, which translates to only 13 times a year. Many private companies don’t follow this rule and motivate people to donate multiple times a day. They operate as per a pay per donation system, so they offer more money to donors if they donate plasma.
Quality Matters
If you want to donate plasma, you should restrict yourself to donating it once every 28 days because if you donate too frequently, it may affect the quality of the plasma. You should know that your body’s ability to regenerate plasma quickly and its components are limited. It can’t have its unlimited supply within a few days’ gap.
As per research, people in the USA who donated plasma more frequently and in higher volumes had less protein, albumin, and other key blood markers. If you don’t want that to happen when you want to help a COVID-19 patient, you should ensure that you create a donation schedule under a doctor’s supervision and stick to it. After all, plasma donation in COVID-19 times is not just about making a few extra bucks. It’s also about saving lives.
It is highly recommended that a doctor should review the medical history of the donor, examine their blood tests, and let you know of a schedule as per which the plasma donation would be safe and effective.
Are You Eligible to Donate Plasma?
No matter how much you want to help others and donate plasma COVID-19 times, you should know that not everyone can be eligible to donate plasma. So, you should read on and know the answer to you are eligible to donate plasma.
- If you have any illness like a fever, cough, or feel a bit uneasy, you should not donate plasma.
- If you are getting antibiotics for active infections, you won’t be eligible to donate plasma.
- People who have a medical condition(s) out of 23 conditions that are listed by the American Red Cross should not donate plasma. The list includes conditions like HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis, among others.
- If you have low hemoglobin levels or low iron levels, you might not be able to donate platelets or blood. Check with your doctor to know if you can donate plasma as it varies according to different people’s bodies.
- If you are undergoing medical treatment or procedure like surgeries and blood transfusions, you might not be able to donate plasma
- In case you have traveled to nations with a disqualifying illness like countries with the Zika virus, you will not be eligible for donating plasma.
There is a complete list on the American Red Cross. You should check it before you decide to donate plasma. It’s for your health and the well-being of the COVID-19 patient(s) you intend to help.