Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria urgently needs more plasma donors to help treat Covid-19

Photo: EPA/BGNES

The breakneck increase in the number of people infected with Covid-19 in Bulgaria has brought a series of problems to the fore. The lack of medical staff has become evident. The Covid-19 units are reaching their full capacity and medics are on the brink of exhaustion. In addition, there is huge deficit of important life-saving substance- convalescent plasma. 

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Health has been constantly calling on people to donate blood plasma. In March this year the association “Treatment of Covid-19 with Convalescent Plasma” created a special Facebook group. All Bulgarians willing to donate blood plasma are members of this group. It became clear that the deficit of A negative blood is highest. The calls for donation of blood plasma have become more urgent, because it turned out that this method saves lives.

Thirty-three year-old Radoslav Tsevtkov has donated blood plasma already twice. He was infected with the novel coronavirus in the summer. Radoslav did not hesitate to join the procedure when he learned about the possibility to donate plasma.

“I will donate again if necessary”, Radoslav Tsvetkov said for BNR. Radoslav explained that the procedure is painless and is well-accepted by the human body. However, it turned out that donors are facing some impediments:

“The National Center for Hematology and Transfusion urgently needs plasma. Donors from all over the country are welcome to donate convalescent plasma and we will pay their travel costs, - the Chairperson of the Association “Treatment of Covid-19 with Convalescent Plasma” Dr. Pavlina Mihaylova explained in an interview for BNR. In her words, at the end of last week hospitals from Gabrovo, Burgas, Varna and Plovdiv needed convalescent plasma for treatment of doctors with severe symptoms. Although many volunteers wanted to donate plasma, they were not able to do so, because the blood center was closed.

The National Center for Hematology and Transfusion is the only place in Bulgaria where people can donate blood plasma. However, it is open from 8 am to 3 pm on weekdays which impedes many people do donate convalescent plasma. Moreover, the center is closed on weekends. Otherwise, the procedure itself takes 40 minutes only. Only healthy people can donate blood plasma. The procedure can be made at least 40 days after they test positive for Covid-19. Donors bring their positive PCR tests to prove that their blood plasma contains antibodies against Covid-19.

According to current criteria, people aged 55 or under can donate blood plasma in Bulgaria. However, in Dr. Mihaylova’s view, this must change, because the criteria were written back in May and the situation has changed since then.

“Many people say- I am 59 or 60 and want to donate plasma. They should also be able to donate. I made a survey and I found out that there are no such age restrictions in Great Britain. As we already know, older patients have more severe symptoms and more antibodies in their blood. In other words, the blood plasma of such people is much more efficient.”

Written by: Yoan Kolev

English version: Kostadin Atanasov



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Lazo Nestori

Lazo Nestori from Albania: Being Bulgarian is a source of pride and a great name!

Only a few kilometers west of the border between Greece and Albania and some 40 kilometers from the regional center Korçë is the Albanian town of Bilishta (Bilisht in Albanian). A member of the urban intelligentsia there is Lazo Nestori - a..

published on 10/21/24 3:45 PM
 Radoslava Nedyalkova

Radoslava Nedyalkova: Folklore groups are at the heart of Bulgarian communities around the world

"You realize what your homeland is when you lose it. When you're at home, you turn on the radio, hear folk music, speak Bulgarian, and go to the theater where you also hear Bulgarian speech. It is only when you lose all that that you realize how much..

published on 10/21/24 2:56 PM
Marcelo Tarapow

Rear Admiral Marcelo Tarapow: Bulgaria and Argentina develop fruitful joint activities in Antarctica

The first Bulgarian research expedition to Antarctica took place in the spring of 1988, marking the beginning of a series of scientific studies by local researchers on the icy continent. ''These are the most extreme conditions in which a person can be..

published on 10/21/24 11:14 AM