City of St. Charles issued the following announcement on June 19.
Get your blood pumping and join the Fox River H-D family by helping save lives at our Vitalant - Illinois blood drive! Did you know that with just 1 pint of blood you can save 3 LIVES!!!
APPOINTMENTS ONLY!
Online: vitalant.org / use code 197G
Call: 877.258.4825
Due to COVID-19 the following precautions will be taken:
All donors temperatures willl be taken.
All donors & staff are required to wear a mask.
All donor stations are disinfected after each donor.
Only 2 donors in the bloodmobile at a time, all other donors will wait their turn in the store or in their car.
All participants will receive a FREE Vitalant lunch bag.
NEW UPDATE from Vitalant: :
"On June 1, 2020, Vitalant began testing all successful (complete) blood donations for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. We are providing this antibody test as an additional benefit and service to our donors at all Vitalant locations. As a respiratory virus, there is no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through blood donation or transfusion."
Antibodies are proteins that help fight off infections. Because antibodies are part of the body's immune response and not the virus itself, antibody testing cannot be used to diagnose current COVID-19 infection. (To tell if someone has an active infection, a viral nucleic acid test on a nose or throat swab is required.)
Antibody tests are used to tell if someone had a past infection with SARS-CoV-2. This testing, however, does not indicate whether the antibodies neutralize the virus and protect against reinfection.
Key Points:
• Donors cannot donate—and get tested for COVID-19 antibodies—if they are sick. If a donor is feeling unwell, please STAY HOME and contact your physician.
• Donors must have a successful donation to get the antibody test. The test is not available to donors with incomplete donations or non-donors. Appointments are strongly recommended.
• Vitalant will include this antibody test throughout the summer as part of its full panel of tests performed on each donation.
• Any repeat donors who donate during the summer will have their blood tested again for the COVID-19 antibodies.
• Confidential antibody test results (“positive” or “negative”) will be available in donors’ private, online donor accounts approximately 2 weeks after they donate.
• During this special antibody testing period, whole blood donors will not earn reward points due to the significant cost of this test. However, those who donate by apheresis (give a specific blood component like red blood cells, platelets or plasma using special equipment) will continue to earn points because of the longer time spent on these types of donations.
For more information please go to www.vitalant.org
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of St. Charles
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