Texas county to pay coronavirus survivors for plasma donations
One official said only a small number of COVID-19 survivors in the area have donated plasma
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Need fast cash? If you’re a survivor of the novel coronavirus and live in one Texas county, you may be in luck — if you donate plasma, that is.
Officials in Bexar County, which San Antonio is a part of, are willing to pay survivors of the novel coronavirus money to donate their plasma to COVID-19 patients in need. One official said only a small number of COVID-19 survivors in the area have donated plasma, which has been touted as a potentially lifesaving treatment for those with severe infections.
SHOULD YOU GET A CORONAVIRUS TEST BEFORE SEEING FRIENDS AND FAMILY?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Only hundreds of the 40,000 [survivors] have actually donated plasma,” Precinct 2 County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez told local news station KSAT.
Bexar County recently secured $150,000 in federal funding to help pay those eligible to donate plasma. Payouts will likely be between $50 to $100 per donation, he said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late August issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for investigational convalescent plasma to treat patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DO YOU HAVE CORONAVIRUS 'CAUTION FATIGUE'?
More than 60,000 patients in the U.S. have been given convalescent plasma, a century-old approach to fend off flu and measles before vaccines. It's a go-to tactic when new diseases come along, and history suggests it works against some — albeit not all — infections.
Bexar County has seen more than 50,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, Texas Public Radio reported Monday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.