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NEW ORLEANS – The pandemic has created a nationwide shortage of plasma, and this holds true for New Orleans as well.

Representatives from The Blood Center say that process of giving plasma takes a little longer than giving blood, but it’s very important. If you have recovered from COVID-19, your plasma could be extremely useful to patients currently suffering from the virus.

Paul Adams from The blood center told WGNO why that is. “The plasma has antibodies in it and those antibodies have already been seen to help the person who’s already fought it off, so now we can pass those antibodies on to somebody who’s fighting it currently.”

The Blood Center asked WGNO to remind our viewers that giving plasma is extremely safe. If you’d like to schedule an appointment to give, head to thebloodcenter.org.