The Belgian Red Cross is looking for plasma donors, inter-federal spokesman Yves Van Laethem said on Friday at a Crisis Centre press briefing.
In addition to the usual criteria to be able to make such a donation, potential donors must also have recovered from Covid-19.
The plasma collected is being used for two Belgian studies, by Leuven's University Hospital and the CHU of Liège, to establish "whether the antibodies developed by recovered persons can help severely affected patients in the acute phase of the disease.”
If the results of these studies prove positive, "this treatment could be an essential boost for patients in the acute phase, for whom we do not yet have drugs that can eliminate the virus,” Van Laethem emphasised.
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"Without new donors, these studies will have to be suspended, since the stocks of plasma are currently running out,” he said.
The Red Cross is looking for adult donors who are healthy, have recovered from the coronavirus and have been symptom-free for 17 days. For immunological reasons, women who have already had a pregnancy cannot participate.
Volunteers who meet the criteria and wish to participate can contact their doctor or the Belgian Red Cross blood service via this website or by calling 081/58.59.88.
The Brussels Times
