Israeli who recovered from virus donates blood plasma so antibodies can help patients

An Israeli doctor who recovered from COVID-19 is donating blood plasma in the hopes that it contains antibodies that can help those infected overcome the coronavirus.

“I’m donating plasma for future use in treating coronavirus,” Dr. Ofer Rak, an orthopedic surgeon, tells Channel 12 news from the Magen David Adom blood bank, where MDA’s Prof. Eilat Shinar is supervising the process.

Rak contracted the virus during a ski trip in Italy and was treated at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he works.

Channel 12 notes that a major Israeli hospital is already using plasma from patients who have recovered from the virus in treating patients, and that numerous hospitals worldwide are doing so. It says four major drug companies are working to manufacture the treatment.