Vitalant offering COVID-19 antibody test for all blood donors

PITTSBURGH — Vitalant will now test all blood donors for antibodies for COVID-19.

The antibody test will indicate whether a donor’s immune system produced antibodies for the virus regardless of whether the person ever showed symptoms.

The test is part of a full panels of tests that Vitalant performs on successful blood donations.

“While a positive antibody test does not mean that someone is immune to COVID-19, it does mean that they may be eligible to donate convalescent plasma in the future and help people with the disease,” said Cliff Numark, Vitalant’s Chief of Marketing. “Convalescent plasma can be given directly to patients currently battling COVID-19 to help boost their ability to fight their illness.”

The antibody testing will continue through the end of August.

Vitlant is the nation’s first blood bank to test all blood for COVID-19 antibodies.

If you’d like to set up an appointment to donate blood, which is desperately needed in our area, go to http://www.vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825).

You can also learn more about Vitalant’s collection and distribution of convalescent plasma at http://www.vitalant.org/COVIDfree.

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