COVID-19 patient receives first convalescent plasma infusion at Orlando Health ORMC

ORLANDO, Fla. — Doctors at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center infused their first coronavirus patient with convalescent plasma last Wednesday.

Michael Rathel, 52, received the infusion around midnight on April 8.

“Normally, getting plasma requires going through a long process because it’s investigational,” said ORMC critical care physician, Satya Mukkera. “In a normal timeline, this might take a few days. So working through the process in a few hours in phenomenal.”

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The process to obtain and infuse convalescent plasma is a complicated one, as donors’ blood types must be compatible with recipients.

Donors must have recovered from COVID-19, been symptom-free for a minimum of 14 days and be tested to ensure the virus is no longer active in the body. The hospital administering the treatment must receive approval from the FDA on a case-by-case basis.

Doctors say it’s too early to predict Rathel’s prognosis, but did say that his condition is not worsening.

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Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and are interested in donating blood should contact their local blood bank.

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