BOISE, Idaho — The American Red Cross is seeing an emergency shortage of convalescent plasma, as the demand has more than doubled over the last month as the number of coronavirus cases increase. Convalescent plasma is a potentially lifesaving treatment for COVID-19 patients.
"This is a lifesaving treatment, and we know that people who have recovered have some antibodies in their blood that are proving to help people recover faster, and so this is really an urgent need right now," said Nicole Sirak Irwin, American Red Cross Regional CEO.
If you donate blood, platelets or plasma from August 1 to September 3, you will get a $5 Amazon gift card. If you donate by August 31, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip for four to Cedar Point or Knott's Berry Farm, redeemable through 2021.
Those who have fully recovered and received a verified COVID-19 diagnosis are encouraged to donate by completing a donor eligibility form, which can be found here. With each donation, up to three patients can recover from the virus.
Donation appointments can be made by downloading the free Blood Donor App, going to the Red Cross website, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or enabling the BloodDonor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities Aug. 1-15:
Ada County
Boise
8/6/2020: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Urban Inn & Suites, 3300 S Vista
8/7/2020: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Boise Saves Lives, 906 W Main St
8/10/2020: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Holiday Inn Express, 3050 S Shoshone St
8/11/2020: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Boise Saves Lives, 906 W Main St
8/13/2020: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Boise Saves Lives, 906 W Main St
8/13/2020: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Urban Inn & Suites, 3300 S Vista
8/17/2020: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Holiday Inn Express, 3050 S Shoshone St
Kuna
8/4/2020: 12:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., Avalon Building, 224 E Avalon
Meridian
8/1/2020: 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., The Village at Meridian, 3693 E Longwing Lane #225
8/3/2020: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Country Inn and Suites By Radisson, 3355 E Pine Ave
8/3/2020: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Meridian United Methodist Church, 235 E Pine
8/13/2020: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Ten Mile Christian Church, 3500 W Franklin Road
8/19/2020: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., The Village at Meridian, 3693 E Longwing Lane #225
Boise County
Horseshoe Bend
8/17/2020: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Ladies Club Hall, 121 Boise Street
Idaho City
8/14/2020: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Idaho City Christian Center, 3853 ID-21
Payette County
New Plymouth
8/4/2020: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Internet Truck Stop, 222 N Plymouth Avenue
Payette
8/18/2020: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., First Baptist Church, 15 N 10th Street
Washington
Weiser
8/5/2020: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., The Vendome Community Center, 309 State Street
