25 Pekalongan Police Officers Who Survived COVID-19 Donate Their Convalescent Plasma

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PEKALONGAN - As many as 25 police officers who survived COVID-19 in Pekalongan City, Central Java, registered with the local Indonesian Red Cross Blood Donor Unit (UDD PMI) as convalescent plasma donors.

Head of UDD PMI Pekalongan City Ani Sri Rahayu in Pekalongan, Thursday said that the need for COVID-19 patients for convalescent plasma is quite high, reaching 10-15 bags per day.

"However, only about 80 percent of the request can be fulfilled, because the number of convalescent plasma donors is small, which is about 5 people every day", she said, quoted by Antara, Thursday, August 5.

She said that her party would process convalescent plasma in a conventional way, in which one donor who meets the requirements is taken one bag.

"Meanwhile, 80 percent of the demand has only been fulfilled because we are having a hard time finding convalescent plasma donors", said Ani Sri Rahayu.

According to her, candidates for convalescent plasma donors will be screened specifically, such as having a blood sample of five milliliters each.

Furthermore, the blood sample, she said, will be taken to UDD PMI for examination in the laboratory, whether it meets the requirements for convalescent plasma donors or not.

"We will also check if the antibody titer is still there or not, and whether the person concerned has an infectious disease transmitted through blood transfusions and others", she said.

She said the requirements to become a convalescent plasma donor were, among others, COVID-19 survivors whose time from recovery to donating was about two weeks to no more than two months, preferably male, minimum weight 55 kg, and no comorbidities.

A COVID-19 survivor from the Pekalongan City Police Traffic Unit Aiptu Kristanto said he had been confirmed positive for COVID-19 on 27 June 2021 and has now recovered.

According to him, his intention to donate convalescent plasma was out of humanitarian considerations to help COVID-19 patients recover quickly.

"I hope that this convalescent plasma donor can slightly relieve COVID-19 patients and speed up their recovery", he said.