Should you be forced to donate plasma?

Published in El Pais, 16 June 2020.

Lots of people are getting the coronavirus but that also means lots are recovering from it too. These survivors develop antibodies and medical agencies around the world are asking those fully recovered to donate plasma so that trials can begin to develop a treatment for the virus. Though nothing is guaranteed it is certainly an avenue worth pursing.

Before I go into it further, I should say that anyone who is medically cleared to donate blood and plasma should do so. Right now, blood banks around the world are going dry because people are afraid to donate and there are many patients whose lives are at stake. Provided the donation centre is following infection protocol you should not be hesitant to go. That being said I am asking you to help out your fellow man, not telling you to. The government of Bolivia seems to be planning a different approach.

Those who recovered from the virus are being required by law to donate plasma in order to help others recover from the virus. Refusing to do so could face stiff penalties. These are certainly desperate times and as the saying goes “desperate times call for desperate measures” but does that make it right?

The fact is plasma featuring antibodies from the virus is a promising treatment but still requires a lot of study to confirm it will work.  I still encourage all who can to donate their plasma if they have recovered but we should hold off and making such requirements mandatory for the time being. Until we know for sure this will work the process should be completely voluntarily accompanied by a campaign to educate the public on the importance of donating through the media and through medical professionals. If the study confirms that the plasma helps and donations remain to be low the debate on making it mandatory can be revisited but for now let’s let people make their own decisions.