Andrade:
Returning to the news about the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused many problems in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. With more than 17,000 infected people and 300 deaths, numbers continue to increase and there is no vaccine. Investigations of a possible vaccine are ongoing and a vaccine is expected in early 2021. However, progress has been made in how to treat the disease. One of the things doctors are doing is treating seriously ill patients with plasma from recovered patients.
Today we are going to talk with Dr. Beverly Zavaleta. She is a specialist in family and hospital medicine, a graduate of Harvard University, and practices as a hospitalist physician at Valley Baptist Medical Center in the city of Brownsville.
How are you, doctor? How is it going? Thank you for talking with us.
Zavaleta:
Good afternoon. Thank you for having me here.
Adrade:
First, let's talk about the treatment of seriously ill patients with convalescent plasma, that is- plasma donated from people recovered from COVID19.
Is this treatment effective?
Zavaleta:
We hope that it is. We are conducting this research at our hospital, as are many hospitals across the United States, as part of the study spearheaded by the Mayo Clinic Hospital out of Minnesota. We are seeing very good results so far and we hope to see the initial analysis next month in August. We hope that convalescent plasma will be very effective in treating people who are severely ill with COVID19 pneumonia.
Andrade:
So there is a high likelihood of success using convalescent plasma to treat patients who are severely ill with COVID19.
Zavaleta:
We think so. We need to prove this by looking at the final results, but we think it’s going to be very successful. That is why plasma donation from those who have recovered from COVID19 is so important.
Andrade:
Precisely. The objective of this interview is to invite people who have recovered from Covid 19 to participate in plasma donation. Only recovered patients can donate plasma and there are some particular qualifications, correct? Tell us, Doctor.
Zavaleta:
A person who has recovered from COVID19 must wait 28 days after recovering, because the body makes antibodies, which are the proteins that fight the virus. After 28 days, plasma can be donated and this plasma can help the person who is still suffering from a severe case of COVID. One or two units of plasma can be transfused, which boosts the immune system of the person who is still sick.
However, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas we have very little convalescent plasma. We are depleting the plasma supply because we have so many patients ill with COVID. So I’m asking members of the public who have recovered from COVID to respond to our request for plasma donations. In order to increase supply, we will be holding two Plasma Donation Drives to collect convalescent plasma.
Andrade:
According to the data at this time, we have a total of 7,100 people recovered from COVID in the four Rio Grande Valley Texas counties. Those are the people who may qualify to donate plasma.
Zavaleta:
Yes, that would be excellent if all or many of those people could go to donate their plasma. Also, donors should know that with each donation up to three bags of plasma are collected, thus each person who donates their plasma can help up to three sick people.
Andrade:
There is going to be a Plasma Drive, Doctor.
Zavaleta:
Yes, there will be two dates in Brownsville next week, on the 21st and the 28th at the Courtyard Marriott. They will be there with their team, their nurses and the whole team to donate blood and check for antibodies —everything you need on those two days. Hopefully they can collect a lot of plasma.
Andrade:
So the first Drive is going to be next Tuesday. What time? Sorry, from what time.
Zavaleta:
Yes at 10am, ten in the morning, until 4pm, four in the afternoon.
Andrade:
At the Marriott hotel, in Brownsville.
Zavaleta:
Yes, Marriott Courtyard in Brownsville.
Andrade:
Good, we discussed the requirement that people must be 28 days recovered, let’s reinforce that.
Zavaleta:
Yes, exactly. Also, if someone is not sure whether they have antibodies or not, they can be tested for antibodies by taking blood to prove that they do have antibodies to COVID19.
There is a phone number where people can call, 956-215-3166. That's the number to the office that is coordinating all the plasma donation and plasma transfusion.
So, for people who want to donate they can call this number: 956-215-3166.
Andrade:
Doctor, what role do you play in this project of treating patients with convalescent plasma?
Zavaleta:
Well, first and foremost I’m working with the team of doctors at the hospital, caring for patients, working with my colleagues. It is a team effort, right? And I'm also spearheading the plasma transfusion program, enrolling patients in the study to receive plasma, organizing the paperwork and transmitting the data to the Mayo Clinic to carry out the research study.
Andrade:
I have two other questions that are off script, but I think they are important. Can patients who are recovered get sick again?
Zavaleta:
That is a very good question, to which everyone wants the answer. I don’t have the answer. There is a lot of research being carried out right now around the world in order to answer this question. We hope that the answer is “no,” but no one is sure. We really don’t know yet.
Andrade:
We do not know the disease well.
Zavaleta:
Correct
Andrade:
Okay, thanks doctor. Thank you very much for this interview and we hope that people will turn out to donate.
Zavaleta:
Take care and thank you very much!
Andrade:
Likewise and thank you.