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HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - Some people who have recovered from COVID-19 have been trying to donate their plasma to help sick patients, but they are finding it difficult to donate due to delays.
Kristen Gonzalez, an intensive care unit nurse who has recovered from the virus, has been trying for several days to donate her plasma through OneBlood.
“If I have the antibodies, and that is what is going to get someone off the ventilator and back home with their family, you know, it is just a couple of hours out of your day,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez first contacted OneBlood on Sunday and filled out the forms, but four days later, she has not heard anything from the company.
“I am surprised,” she said. “I expected to be contacted on Monday or Tuesday because there are so many people who need plasma. Time is of the essence.”
OneBlood is the only location in South Florida where people can donate plasma, and they said they are working as fast as they can to process the donations. However, some donors have said they are not working fast enough.
Stefanie Miller, a Broward County Elementary schoolteacher, and Carlos Amador, a 49-year-old Miami father, are two of the many COVID-19 patients fighting for their lives and in need of plasma.
A frustrated Gonzalez went to a Hialeah OneBlood location, but she quickly came back outside.
“They said, ‘It’s not this location,'” Gonzalez said.
7News then went with Gonzalez to a different OneBlood office, and again, as quickly as she went in, she came out.
When asked what had happened, she said, “They are not able to take my blood right now because they don’t have me on the schedule.”
She was finally able to donate after waiting in her car for another two hours.
Debra McMilan said she has had a similar experience trying to donate plasma for Miller.
“I started calling on Tuesday to get the appointment once I heard she needed it,” McMilan said. “As of [Wednesday], they had every piece of paperwork they needed, which means I could have donated [Wednesday] for Stefanie!”
After calling Memorial Hospital West, where Miller is being treated, McMilan said she was then able to get an appointment with OneBlood Thursday morning.
7News called OneBlood, and they said they have to follow U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, which includes reviewing donor documentation, and a doctor must sign off each time.
When asked if she thought the process was happening fast enough, OneBlood spokesperson Susan Forbes said, “OneBlood is moving as quickly as possible, and we have scaled up our operations. This is something we really — is brand new. Convalescent plasma is something that just started within the past couple weeks.”
McMilan and Gonzalez both worked with the nonprofit Heal As One to speed up the process — one they think OneBlood should start expediting.
“I felt badly knowing that she needed the antibodies, and it was frustrating that I could not get through to anybody,” McMilan said.
OneBlood said there is major need for plasma from survivors of COVID-19. They are encouraging anyone who has a negative test to register on their website to donate. Their goal is to get someone an appointment within one or two days of them signing up.
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