BEAUMONT, Texas — As COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Southeast Texas area hospitals are in desperate need of plasma from people who have recovered from the coronavirus.
The shortage of plasma is a result of Southeast Texas hospitals being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients during the pandemic.
Doctors say you can help out by donating plasma if you have had the coronavirus and recovered from it.
Lifeshare Blood Center will be holding a COVID-19 plasma drive for those who have recovered from the virus on Thursday in Beaumont.
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People who have the virus, can form antibodies in a matter of days. It's the immune system's way of battling back against the virus.
Southeast Texas broke a record for the most new coronavirus cases in a single day after 73 cases were reported on Tuesday.
Hospitalizations in the region have also been going up.
Doctors have been using plasma from patients who have recovered after having COVID-19 as a way to treat those who are currently battling the virus.
Baptist Hospital's Dr. Qamar Arfeen, a certified pulmonologist, says the hospital is a few days away from running out of plasma completely.
"We are depending on local people to be able to donate to and if we don't have plasma we can't get it from elsewhere,” Dr. Arfeen told 12News.
Plasma from people who have had the virus and recovered from it contains valuable antibodies that can used to heal those who are critically ill with the virus.
Medicine we can get. It can be shipped from anywhere in the world. But plasma is something we’ve got to have,” said Dr. Arfeen.
