Have you had COVID-19 and recovered?

Help USC and Keck School of Medicine support COVID-19 research in this groundbreaking effort for our community.

USC’s Keck School of Medicine is looking for donors who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been symptom-free for at least 28 days to provide a urine, blood, and/or plasma sample (can be obtained the same way you donate blood). If you have tested positive for COVID-19 and fully recovered, please consider donating your blood, urine and plasma.

Call our coordinators today: (323) 475-8712  or complete the form below, and one of our staff members will call you to ensure you’re eligible to donate!

USC COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project FAQs

What is convalescent plasma?
Plasma refers to the liquid part of a human’s blood. When the human body is exposed to a pathogen, the body will respond by producing antibodies to fight the pathogen. When plasma is removed from the blood of a person who has recovered from a disease, the plasma can be used to treat patients who are currently battling that disease.

How can my plasma be used to treat COVID-19?
Currently, there is currently no approved treatment for COVID-19 in the U.S. and globally. However, USC and other medical centers around the country and world are examining how convalescent plasma can be used to treat patients with COVID-19. We need plasma donations to determine if convalescent plasma might shorten how long people are sick with COVID-19, reduce or prevent the death rate from COVID-19.

Is convalescent plasma safe and effective against COVID-19?
Because this is still an emergent area, we don’t yet know if convalescent plasma is an effective treatment against COVID-19.

I recently recovered from COVID-19, can I donate convalescent plasma?
Yes, we are collecting convalescent plasma from people who have tested positive for COVID-19, have recovered (defined by not having symptoms for at least 28 days), and come to CHLA’s Blood Donation Center to donate their plasma.

How do I know if I am eligible to donate blood?
We will ask you a series of health screening questions to meet our eligibility requirements.

What measures are being taken to make sure donor centers are virus-free?
We ask blood donors and our own staff to stay home if they are not feeling well. Our blood collection sites are taking the following safety measures to help protect our staff and our donors:

  • Follow a donation-by-appointment policy.
  • Limit donor center access to individuals with appointments who are not accompanied by others.
  • Ask donors to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after donation.
  • Give donors more space during the entire process by increasing the distance between donors in the screening, collection and refreshment areas.
  • Give donors increased spacing during the donation process.
  • Follow procedures for cleaning and disinfecting all areas and increase the frequency, such as cleaning the donor bed and other surfaces in the collection area after each donor.
  • Increase the frequency for cleaning and disinfecting the donor screening and refreshment areas, restrooms, doorknobs and other surfaces.
  • Serve each donor individually wrapped snacks and drinks, limiting exposure to the supply, rather than allowing all donors access to the supply of snacks and drinks.
  • Signs are posted outside of the donor center asking donors “Do not donate blood today if in the past 28 days you have had any symptoms of COVID-19 or have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within the past 28 days”.
  • Each donor also has their temperature checked before being allowed in the donor center.

Can I catch COVID-19 by donating blood or plasma?
No. Donating blood is safe because we use new, sterile needles that are discarded after use.

Can the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 be transmitted by blood transfusion?
Respiratory viruses generally are not transmitted through blood transfusion. There have been no reported cases of transfusion-transmitted coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2, worldwide. At the time of donation, blood donors must be healthy, have a normal temperature, and free from illness.

Do you test blood before it goes to recipients?
We test all donated blood for blood type, hepatitis, HIV, syphilis, and other transfusion transmissible diseases.

Can I bring my kids with me to the donor centers when I donate?
In supporting our efforts to practice social distancing and spacing, please leave your children at home.

I have more questions, who can I contact?
Click here to submit a request and one of our staff members will give you a call back.

What online resources are available regarding blood donation and COVID-19?
The following links to the FDA provide additional information regarding blood and tissue donation: