Senator Sonny Angara, who tested positive for the coronavirus but recovered, has introduced a website for fellow survivors who want to donate their blood plasma to help find treatment.
Created with Bacolod-based web developer Talking Myna, PlasmaNgPagasa.com will serve as a secure, one-stop COVID-19 survivor registration system. According to Angara's Facebook post, the website "allows COVID-19 survivors to register and help convalescent plasma transfusion possible for patients with severe infection."
He told ABS-CBN News, "We put it up to bring them together and hopefully save lives in the process. Kasi parang dami pa din naghahanap, and madami din ang willing to donate nung plasma sa dugo nila."
Basically, donations will be automatically forwarded to partner plasma-collecting hospitals — Philippine General Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines, and St. Luke's Medical Center Global City and Quezon City.
In a separate post, Angara wrote, "Some studies suggest that convalescent plasma from COVID-19 survivors can help those who are critically ill to recover faster from the disease. While more research is needed, a University of Texas at Austin peer-reviewed study has found that the experimental treatment is completely safe*. Sa madaling salita, mas may pag-asa, 'pag may plasma."
He and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri have already donated their plasma post-coronavirus-recovery.