Could you donate plasma to help treat coronavirus (COVID-19) patients?
Clinical trial
We need people who’ve recovered from coronavirus (COVID-19) to donate blood plasma, as part of a clinical trial to help with the national effort against the virus.
The trial will tell us how effective convalescent plasma (plasma from people who’ve had coronavirus) is for treating coronavirus patients.
How you can help
Please register your interest in donating plasma if you have:
- tested positive for coronavirus
- tested positive for antibodies
- had symptoms of the virus (men only)
- understood our eligibility criteria
Not everyone will be able to donate. We may need to contact you with more questions.
Plasma can be donated from 28 days after recovery.
What is convalescent plasma?
Blood plasma is a yellowish liquid that makes up about half your blood volume. After a virus, your plasma contains antibodies that are used to help fight infection.
Convalescent plasma is the antibody-rich plasma of someone who has recovered from a virus, in this case COVID-19.
Who can donate convalescent plasma?
Convalescent plasma can only be donated by someone who has had the virus.
We need donors who have had either a positive virus or antibody test. We are also accepting men with symptoms only.
It is also important that donors have fully recovered from COVID-19, and that their body has had time to develop a good antibody response.
Please read more information about who can donate convalescent plasma
Donating plasma
Plasma donation is not the same as blood donation.
Some donors will be asked to give a blood sample for testing. Other donors will be invited to give a full plasma donation. This means we can assess more people and find high antibody donors quickly.
The process takes around 45 minutes and will separate plasma from the blood as you donate, in a process called apheresis.
We will discuss the details of your donation before you take part.
Any donations will take place at one of the following donor centres.
Our donor centres
- Birmingham
- Bradford
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Gloucester
- Lancaster
- Leeds City Centre
- Leeds Bridle Path
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- Liverpool Speke
- London Bexleyheath
- London Edgware
- London Tooting
- London Twickenham
- London West End
- London Westfield Shopping Mall
- Luton
- Manchester Plymouth Grove
- Manchester City Centre
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Plymouth
- Poole
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Stoke
More about where you can donate convalescent plasma
