KUWAIT CITY, Nov 3: Kuwait Central Blood Bank on Tuesday appealed to all those recovering from COVID-19 to donate blood in order to meet the growing demand for immune plasma.

The Director of the Department of Blood Transfusion Services at the Ministry of Health Dr Reem Al-Radwan said in a press statement that due to the update by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the adoption of immune plasma use to treat infected patients, as well as the continuous demand for blood by hospitals, they appeal to all COVID-19 recovered patients to take the initiative to donate immune plasma to save patients’ lives.

There are procedures and conditions that must be met before the plasma donation process, that 14 days passed after the recovering person is symptom-free and the end of the quarantine period, in order to donate with conditions met, such as older than 18 years old and not suffering from any chronic diseases, Al-Radwan explained.

She also urged recovering patients who wish to donate to register through the website link (https://btas-kw.org/ccpdonation), to find out the conditions and make an appointment to donate at the Kuwait Central Blood Bank in Jabriya or Sheikha Salwa Al-Sabah Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Center. Since the launch of the plasma donation program last April, the equivalent of 1,700 plasma bags have been collected, and 1,200 bags have been dispensed at a rate of 200 plasma bags per month, she pointed out. (KUNA)