SAN ANTONIO – A county-funded program that promises to pay former Covid-19 patients to donate antibody-rich plasma has been delayed, but Precinct 2 Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said it is still in the works.
This comes as the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase in San Antonio, along with the dire need for plasma to heal sick patients.
“I have donated plasma 16 times so far,” said Barbara Silva.
For Barbara Silva and her family, the incentive to donate plasma is personal. Her mother, brother, husband, and three children all contracted Covid-19 after her mother was hospitalized with cancer.
“We were infected the last week in June,” Silva said.
Silva’s mother did not survive.
“We did lose her. She passed away a week after she was released from the hospital,” Silva said.
Silva said her husband was also on his death bed until he received a plasma transfusion and recovered almost instantly. It’s why she advocates for others who’ve recovered to give back as well, as we wait for a vaccine to be widely distributed.
“Convalescent plasma is really our best option as far as saving lives,” Silva said.
With Covid-19 case numbers on the rise, the need for plasma is increasing and county commissioners know that. Back in the summer, Rodriguez planned to use federal grant money to pay people up to $100 per donation but ran into a funding issue.
“There was some guidance that specifically came down from the federal government, the Treasury Department to be exact, that said we could not use these dollars specifically for that kind of a program,” Rodriguez said.
While Rodriguez now plans to use General Fund money from the budget to begin paying people early next year, both he and Silva hope potential donors don’t wait.
“Infections are increasing in our city right now,” Silva said.
Doctors say one plasma donation is good for three and a half treatments. Rodriguez says keep proof of your donations if you want to be compensated when the program launches early next year. But in the meantime, they’re hoping donors do it to save lives.
For information on how to donate, contact the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center at southtexasblood.org or call (210) 731-5555.
RELATED: Bexar County planning to pay COVID-19 survivors for plasma
