Dr. Jairo Melo, one of San Antonio’s biggest proponents of convalescent plasma treatments, has a simple message for anyone who has recovered from COVID-19. 

“I encourage everybody – everybody – who has recovered to donate,” the Medical Director for Pulmonary and Critical Care with Methodist Hospital told The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation board at their online meeting Monday. 

Dr. Melo has advocated for giving plasma from recovered patients to those hospitalized with COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic. But he is seeing a trend as reported cases and the number of critically ill patients rise. 

“The sicker people are, the more grateful they are – and those are the people who are donating,” he said, adding that those recovered patients’ families also tend to become regular plasma donors. 

Blood centers across the United States, including the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, have committed to doubling the number of convalescent plasma doses given to COVID-19 patients next month.

The announcement came during a convalescent plasma roundtable hosted by the White House. The event was described as a “national call to action” to encourage donation by Americans who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies that can help current patients fight the virus.  

Members of America’s Blood Centers, including the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, collect more than 60% of the nation’s blood donations. They have provided 100,000 of the 124,000 doses of convalescent plasma transfused since the program began this spring.