SAN ANTONIO — Two San Antonio law firms are helping the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center’s efforts to collect convalescent plasma for coronavirus patients by providing $50 Visa gift cards for each donation.
The donation was announced Monday as several community partners came together to rally support for convalescent plasma donations.
Carabin Shaw PC and Wyatt Law Firm PLLC are providing $50,000 each in gift cards to encourage South Texans who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate convalescent plasma. That plasma is used to treat patients with active infections. The cards will be distributed while supplies last.
“We felt it was vital for us to encourage people to make a lifesaving plasma donation,” said Jamie Shaw, a partner at Carabin Shaw. “It’s critically important to our community, and we want to encourage others to step up and help.”
STBTC is supplying hospitals with convalescent plasma, and it also aims to stockpile plasma donations for any future surges in demand. The average plasma donation provides enough for three doses, which help patients' immune systems fight off a COVID-19 infection.
“The fight isn’t over, so we need to continue to collect plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients,” said Paula Wyatt, partner at Wyatt Law Firm.
“Our doctors in San Antonio want to use convalescent plasma for anyone admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, but we need more donations,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “We have had more than 33,000 people recover from COVID-19 in San Antonio, but less than 900 have become plasma donors.”
Nationally, blood centers collecting convalescent plasma are looking to double the 100,000 doses given to patients so far by the end of August. The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center provided more than 4,400 of those doses.
“The Mayo Clinic reported that convalescent plasma can cut mortality rates in half, when administered at the right time,” said Elizabeth Waltman, Chief Operating Officer of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. “It shows that we need more people to make these lifesaving donations.
Potential donors can find out more by visiting South Texas Blood's website or emailing COVID19@SouthTexasBlood.org. All donors must contact the center and be screened for COVID-19 antibody levels and symptoms before donating.
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