Duterte asks recovered COVID-19 patients to donate blood

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has joined the call for survivors of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to donate blood which may likely be the key to finding a cue for the viral respiratory illness.

The President made the call after the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) asked patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to make blood donations for its study on the virus’ cure.

“Mag mabuting-loob kayo. And I think kung ako, I should volunteer. That is the way of thanking God that you have survived,” Duterte said in a meeting with members of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases aired early Thursday.

(Be kind-hearted. If I were a survivor, I should volunteer. That is the way of thanking God that you have survived.)

“Magpakuha kayo kasi ‘yun ang dugo ninyo, ‘yung plasma ninyo ‘yun ang i-inject doon sa mga tinamaan,” he said.

(Donate your blood because the plasma in it will be injected to those infected.)

PGH earlier explained that the blood of convalescent or recovered patients, specifically its plasma, contains antibodies that will help fight SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the respiratory illness.

“Pag nag-survive ka ng COVID, ibig sabihin ‘yung antibodies mo, ‘yung panlaban mo sa virus nasa iyong katawan eh,” Duterte said.

(If you survived COVID, it means the antibodies that can fight the virus are inside your body.)

The President also hailed health workers, including those from the University of the Philippines (UP), for trying to find a cure to COVID-19.

“Ang pag-asa natin is, including UP, itong atin ipagmalaki rin natin ang mga doktor natin. Iyang mga bright,” he said.

(Our hope, including UP, are our doctors whom we should be proud of. They are intelligent.)

As of Wednesday, there are 96 individuals in the country who have recovered from COVID-19.

The country has so far recorded 3,870 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 182 deaths.

GSG